Vice President Kamala Harris did not join President Joe Biden when he met with Senate Democrats to push voting rights legislation.
CBS News’ Tim Perry tweeted before the meeting, “Kamala Harris’ office confirms that she will not join President Biden when he meets with Senate Democrats for a last effort push for voting rights later this afternoon. A reminder that Harris was tapped to lead the administration’s efforts on voting rights back in June.”
.@VP Kamala Harris' office confirms that she will not join President Biden when he meets with Senate Democrats for a last effort push for voting rights later this afternoon. A reminder that Harris was tapped to lead the administration's efforts on voting rights back in June.
— Tim Perry (@tperry518) January 13, 2022
Biden said in a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the time, “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.”
Harris responded in a statement, “The work ahead of us is to make voting accessible to all American voters, and to make sure every vote is counted through a free, fair, and transparent process.”
She added, “This is the work of democracy.”
On Tuesday, Biden and Harris delivered remarks at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College urging the Senate to pass voting rights legislation.
“The assault on our freedom to vote will be felt by every American in every community in every political party. And if we stand idly by, our entire nation will pay the price for generations to come,” Harris said.
She continued, “As Dr. King said, the battle is in our hands. And today, the battle is in the hands of the leaders of the American people, those in particular that the American people sent to the United States Senate.”
After meeting with Senate Democrats, Biden told reporters he hopes lawmakers will pass the legislation but is “not certain” they can, as CBS News reports.
The meeting came shortly after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) dealt a major blow to Democrats’ push to change the filibuster.
“These bills help treat the symptoms of the disease, but they do not fully address the disease itself. And while I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country,” Sinema said.
She added, “There’s no need for me to restate my long-standing support for the 60 vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role protecting our country from wild reversals in federal policy. It is a view I’ve held during my years serving in both the U.S. House and the Senate. And it is the view I continue to hold.”
