Biden backs filibuster exception to protect abortion access | AP News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By CHRIS MEGERIANJune 30, 2022 GMT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to the Senate filibuster to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
"If the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights," Biden said during a press conference in Madrid, where he was attending a NATO summit. The Democratic president said there should be an "exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision."
As a former senator, Biden has been reluctant to support changes to the filibuster, which allows any member of the 100-member chamber to block action on legislation unless it receives 60 votes. However, earlier this year he endorsed sidestepping the rule on the issue of voting rights, and his latest comments make clear that he's willing to do the same for abortion.
Biden's support for changes to the filibuster in the 50-50 Senate may ultimately be immaterial. The Senate Democratic caucus would need to unanimously take such a step, but at least two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, don't want to.
The president has been under pressure to take as much executive action as possible to protect abortion rights, although his options are limited. Biden said he's meeting Friday with governors to talk about abortion and "I'll have announcements to make then."
During Thursday's news conference, Biden harshly criticized the Supreme Court's decision on abortion and reiterated his warnings that other constitutional protections could be at risk.
"One thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade but essentially challenging the right to privacy," he said.
Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders said was vital to protecting democracy collapsed in January when Manchin and Sinema refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster. The outcome was a stinging defeat for Biden and his party, coming at the tumultuous close to his first year in office.
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This story has been corrected to show Biden said he'd back an exception to the filibuster, not eliminating the filibuster.
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“Carve out” my ass. It’s the end of the filibuster.
sinema, probably the only democrat capable of thinking long term, has already come out in opposition based on the very sound principle that ending the filibuster means less protection for things progressives care about.
So Biden’s war on our governing norms continues.
No, they just don't want to learn from history. If they eliminate the filibuster for this so they can pass their version of abortion, the next Congress if the Republicans take power can change it to their version, and potentially outlaw it completely. Eliminating the filibuster is about the stupidest thing the Democrats could do for this. And then the next time the Democrats are in power they can again change it back. A never-ending cycle of bullshit.
Why can't the two sides just craft a compromise bill (you have to keep the extremists out of the discussions) where they can come up with some controls around it and then codify it. If the polling is correct (61% of people polled believe abortion should be legal) then the politicians would be working towards something that the people want and properly end this issue. But to do that they have to put the extremists in the corner, put their egos in check and agree to compromise rather than push only towards their partisan agenda. Afraid that's why nothing will be done at a federal level and that's a shame.
I agree with you, except the extremists are running the discussions:
One can just imagine however what the outcry would be if this was all reversed. I mean, if SCOTUS had upheld Roe v. Wade and the Republicans had the majority in the House, Senate and held the WH and they were the ones attempting to eliminate the filibuster to end abortion. What would the reaction on this board be? Who's the first who would come in calling the Republicans fascists?
There are some Democrats who even today are calling for the elimination of the filibuster completely. One can only imagine what they could do if they did that... passage of both their abortion bill and the House bill on voting, additionally they could grant statehood to both DC and Puerto Rico to give another 4 Democrat Senators... Just think how well that would work to reduce the partisan divide in this country.. Just imagine what one-party rule could do to calm the teaming masses... /s
Autocrats to the rescue!
Democrats better think thrice about playing with these matches. Republicans could use the same procedural maneuver to draft and enact a Constitutional amendment. That would require ratification by 34 states. Are Democrats really that certain of their Blue Wall?
The issue of abortion really does motivate Republicans. too. Democrats are deluding themselves if they think the issue can be settled by gaming the system.
The American President goes on foreign soil to attack the US Supreme Court and claims the Court is more destabilizing to the world than Putin.
These are the ramblings of an insane man. This would stand out as crazy for even on an internet site like this filled with crazy partisan takes. And he's the President? .
Yeah yeah yeah. Everybody wants to get rid of the filibuster until they have legislation they want passed. It’s always the same.
Great slope to start to slide down. I guess no one learned from the whole change the rules nuclear option with confirming judges.
Everything becomes a justified "carve out" for the party in power. Nothing could go wrong with that.