Calls are growing to abolish the filibuster in order to pass federal protections for voting rights as Republicans push voter suppression bills around the country. On Wednesday, President Biden called again for passage of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. California Congressmember Barbara Lee tweeted in response, “It’s either uphold the filibuster or uphold our democracy.” But Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have staunchly opposed doing away with the filibuster, which would allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority. Senator Sinema was pressed on the issue yesterday as she appeared with Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: “Well, as folks in Arizona know, I’ve long been a supporter of the filibuster, because it is a tool that protects the democracy of our nation, rather than allowing our country to ricochet wildly every two to four years back and forth between policies.”