Sunday shows preview: Democrats’ struggle for voting rights bill comes to a head

On Jan 15, 2022

Democrats’ push to pass voting rights legislation and change the Senate’s legislative filibuster are expected to dominate the Sunday show circuit.

The House recently passed legislation that merges the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Act in response to several GOP-led state legislatures passing tighter restrictions to the ballot box.

Democratic leadership, including President BidenJoe Biden House Democratic campaign arm outraises GOP counterpart in final quarter of 2021 Putin’s ‘Brezhnev Doctrine’ involving Ukraine could backfire Rising inflation adds pain to student loan debt MORE, have called to do what it takes to pass the voting legislation. However, the party’s hopes were dashed this week when Sen. Kyrsten SinemaKyrsten Sinema Biden touts infrastructure spending as other priorities stall The Hill’s 12:30 Report: More of Biden’s agenda teeters on collapse Joe Biden’s disastrous 48 hours MORE (D-Ariz.) made a speech on the Senate floor in support of the filibuster, a stance that she has been vocal about int he past.

Sen. Joe ManchinJoe Manchin Biden touts infrastructure spending as other priorities stall The Hill’s 12:30 Report: More of Biden’s agenda teeters on collapse The Hill’s Morning Report: Biden takes it on the chin MORE (D-W.Va.), a fellow moderate, has also come out against changing the filibuster. Both of their votes are critical to make any change to the rules in a 50-50 Senate.

Voting rights legislation has failed in the Senate multiple times, and the upper chamber will take up the House-passed legislation on Tuesday.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who is slated to appear on ABC’s “This Week”, CNN’s “State of the Union” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” fiercely defended the voting rights legislation, arguing the bill should be passed to protect democracy.

In an interview scheduled to air Sunday, Clyburn told Greta Van Susteren that he was “worried about losing this democracy. That’s why I’m fighting as hard as I can for this voting rights bill, because we are teetering on the edge of losing this democracy.”

Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt Romney Romney says it ‘would be nuts’ for the RNC to block candidates from commission debates Sinema scuttles hopes for filibuster reform Biden’s FDA nominee advances through key Senate committee MORE (R-Utah), who will appear on NBC’s “Meet The Press” argued earlier this week that the filibuster gives the minority party power, which is important for “one of our vital democratic institutions.”