Democrats have figured out a way to sneak their “voting reform” bill into the House and then on to the Senate. It involves hollowing out a bill that has to do with NASA, and replacing the text with the text of their voting bill.
It’s not likely to change anything, but will force a debate on the topic which Democrats are probably hoping will pressure holdouts like Sens. Sinema (D-AZ) and Manchin (D-WV).
Alayna Treene reports at Axios:
Schumer finds loophole to advance elections reform packageDemocratic leaders have found a mechanism to enable them to bypass an initial Republican filibuster and debate the party’s sweeping election reform bills, according to a new leadership memo obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The strategy is the latest example of how Democrats are seeking new ways to try to bypass Senate procedures that are blocking their agenda. But the ultimate outcome will likely be the same: insufficient support to change the 60-vote threshold needed to pass sweeping voting rights reforms.Driving the news: The House is expected to take up an amendment in the coming days related to NASA leasing “underutilized” property to private groups. Democratic leaders are referring to this as the “shell bill.”
- It will then strip that legislation of its existing language and replace it with the text for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
- The House would then pass the updated bill and send it to the Senate as a “message.” Then, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will file a motion to concur with the House amendment.
This is not the priority of the American people. It’s the priority of the Democrat Party. Grocery store shelves across the country are empty, the price of gas is higher than it has been in years, the southern border is wide open, and all the Democrats can talk about is imagined threats to “our democracy.”
Chuck Schumer is a man obsessed. Politico reports:
“The Senate will finally debate voting rights legislation, and then every senator will be faced with a choice of whether or not to pass the legislation to protect our democracy,” Schumer wrote in a memo, obtained by POLITICO, to Senate Democrats.Schumer’s missive comes amid a torrent of activity among Senate Democrats to pass legislation cracking down on gerrymandering, making campaign finance reforms and creating national standards for early voting. President Joe Biden will attend a special caucus meeting with Senate Democrats Thursday as the party struggles over how and whether to weaken the filibuster to pass elections reform. And senators are furiously lobbying Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to back off their opposition to weakening the 60-vote requirement.
Regarding the Democrats’ desire to trash the filibuster, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas delivered a speech on the Senate floor yesterday that was originally given by Chuck Schumer in 2005.
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