The Senate continues debate today on voting rights legislation, despite the effort being likely doomed to failure after conservative Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema said they would not back a filibuster exception to circumvent Republican opposition to voting rights. This is Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking Tuesday on the Senate floor as lawmakers opened debate.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: “Members of this chamber were elected to debate and to vote, especially on an issue as vital to the beating heart of our democracy as voting rights. And the public — the public is entitled to know where each senator stands on an issue as sacrosanct as defending our democracy.”