Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has warned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that he will not vote to scrap the filibuster to help push through radical abortion laws.
After the recently leaked opinion draft revealed the Supreme Court is planning to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, Democrats have renewed calls for an end to the filibuster so they can pass a new law to codify abortion rights.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said: “Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW.
“And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes.”
Sen. Schumer said on the Senate floor.: “It is my intention with the Senate to hold a vote on legislation to codify the right to an abortion in law.
“Every American will get to see on which side every senator stands.”
However, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) refused to bow to their party’s demands.
The two have stood in the way of Biden’s most radical ideas and they are not budging on the filibuster.
Joe Manchin, who opposes abortion rights, says he believes inflation — not Roe — will be the defining issue in the midterm election. “Inflation is the number one driving factor … I believe in my state right now it’s hurting everybody,” he told us. “Follow the money.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 4, 2022
“The filibuster is a protection of democracy,” Manchin said.
“While Sinema is supportive of abortion rights, her spokesperson said her views on preserving the filibuster are unchanged and pointed to seven Senate votes where a 60-vote threshold ultimately protected abortion rights,” Axios reported.
Sinema also released a statement that said:
“A woman’s health care choices should be between her, her family, and her doctor.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade endangers the health and well-being of women in Arizona and across America.
“Protections in the Senate safeguarding against the erosion of women’s access to health care have been used half-a-dozen times in the past 10 years, and are more important now than ever.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve always supported women’s access to health care, I’m a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and I’ll continue working with anyone to protect women’s ability to make decisions about their futures,” she said.
BREAKING: Joe Manchin says that the “filibuster is a protection of democracy,” signaling that he will refuse to repeal it to pass legislation codifying Roe even in the face of a Republican onslaught on abortion rights. RT IF YOU THINK THAT MANCHIN MUST BE PRIMARIED!
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) May 3, 2022
Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW. And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 3, 2022
From The Hill:
Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) released a statement Tuesday pledging her support for abortion rights but gave no indication that she would change her opposition to reforming the Senate’s filibuster rule to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade.
Sinema, along with fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), voted against an effort by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic colleagues in January to weaken the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow voting rights legislation to pass.
Schumer told colleagues Tuesday morning that he plans to bring legislation to the floor to codify the right to an abortion, which the Supreme Court signaled it may overturn in a draft opinion leaked late Monday.
