Big voting bill faces defeat as 2 Dems won’t stop filibuster
Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia will not stop filibuster.[Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Max Pixel / CC BY-SA 2.0 / The Hill / YouTube / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voting legislation that is a cornerstone of the Democratic agenda and top priority for civil rights leaders is on track for defeat. President Joe Biden’s own party is poised to let the bill fail as two hold-out senators are unwilling to change the Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster.
As the Senate opened debate Tuesday, the two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, faced stark criticism from Black leaders and civil rights organizations.
Their refusal to change what civil rights leaders call the “Jim Crow filibuster” comes at a time when advocates warn states are making it more difficult to vote.