President Joe Biden slammed Republican leaders for what he says is an “unrelenting assault” on the right to vote.
While delivering remarks at an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, Biden explained, “Today the right to vote and the rule of law are under unrelenting assault from Republican governors, attorneys general, secretaries of state, state legislators.”
He added, “And they’re following my predecessor, the last president, into a deep, deep black hole and abyss.”
Watch part of Biden’s remarks below:
Biden calls out GOP leaders for following Trump "into a deep, deep black hole and abyss" after Senate Republicans blocked legislation to bolster voting rights Wednesday for the third time this year https://t.co/adrjT5nUo1 pic.twitter.com/licpcC6h5Q
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 21, 2021
Biden explained the struggle “is no longer over who gets to vote, and make it easier for eligible people to vote. It’s about who gets to count the votes, whether they should count at all.”
He criticized Republicans for blocking debate on federal voting rights legislation, arguing, “It’s unfair, it’s unconscionable, and it’s un-American. This battle is far from over, the door has not been closed. … We have to keep up the fight and get it done.”
Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Wednesday Democrats are “not going to give up,” adding, “We’re not deterred. But there’s still a lot of work to do. I think it’s really a sad day.”
.@VP Harris on voting rights legislation: "We're not going to give up. We're not deterred. But there's still a lot of work to do." pic.twitter.com/gv4NtbM1w3
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 20, 2021
According to The Washington Post, the new bill includes some provisions of the previous bill, including “national standards for early voting and vote-by-mail, new disclosure requirements for ‘dark money’ groups and the establishment of Election Day as a federal holiday.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke on the Senate floor following the vote.
“Members of this body now face a choice,” Schumer said. “They can follow in the footsteps of our patriotic predecessors in this chamber. Or they can sit by as the fabric of our democracy unravels before our very eyes.”
