WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the failed Senate vote to reform the chamber’s rules and pass voting rights legislation:
“As representatives elected to serve the interests of the American people, our most fundamental responsibility is ensuring that those people can access the ballot box. Today, despite Leader Schumer and many Democrats’ best efforts, the U.S. Senate failed to uphold that responsibility.
“We applaud Senator Schumer’s dogged persistence in this fight, and his commitment that this will not be the last time Senators are forced to take this vote. As he and our colleagues have made clear, there is no excuse for this failing. When tested against logic and reason, every argument for protecting the filibuster over voting rights comes up short.
“Critics of rules reform on both sides of the aisle have claimed that the filibuster promotes bipartisanship, when in fact, it only serves to block any legislation from actually being passed. They claim it will create a slippery slope of changes, when in fact, the rule has already changed more than 161 times just since 1969. They argue it protects the voice of the minority — but as evidenced by 50 Republicans representing 41,549,808 fewer people than the 50 Democrats, the Senate is already built to protect it. They pretend there is no crisis of voter suppression, when it is well documented that 2021 was the worst year for restrictive state voting laws in decades.
“We know why Republicans are standing on the wrong side of history today. Their party is beholden to the Big Lie that former President Donald Trump never lost the 2020 election, who himself has said that his party can’t win unless fewer people vote.
“Despite this outright hostility from the Republican Caucus to democracy, Congress must continue to push for a path forward. In the meantime, we urge the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to use their authority under the Voting Rights Act and aggressively challenge unconstitutional laws.
“To everyone who took to the streets and poured their hearts into this fight: we see you, we hear you, we echo your frustration at this outcome. And we promise you that progressives in Congress are not giving up. This will not be the end.”
