Ted Cruz And Senate Republicans Block Any Debate On Voting Rights

Sen. Ted Cruz led Senate Republicans successful blocking each effort to commencement a statement connected voting rights.

Transcript of however it happened from Sen. Schumer’s bureau arsenic provided to PoliticusUSA:

And now, Mr. President, I inquire unanimous consent the Senate proceed to contiguous information of S.2093, For the People Act of 2021.

[Sen. Cruz objected]

Mr. President, the Republican number conscionable prevented the Senate from adjacent having a debate—a debate, conscionable that—on voting rights successful this country.

I recognize that my Republican colleagues don’t o.k. of each facet of the Democratic measure to support voting rights. But surely determination are areas wherever our 2 parties tin find immoderate agreement.

Partisan gerrymandering, for instance, has plagued our state for excessively long. It skews our ideology towards the extremes. It strips the American radical of their close to person a genuinely typical government.

Voters ought to prime their politicians, not the different mode around. But successful truthful galore states, partisan legislators gully maps that artificially maximize the fig of seats that the bulk enactment volition win.

Some districts are truthful harmless that the astir utmost candidates tin tally and triumph with hardly immoderate competition. Surely, my Republican colleagues would hold that partisan gerrymandering deserves a statement connected the Senate floor. It’s a tiny portion of S.1, but 1 that has wide cosmopolitan support—and the support, by the way, of each 49 of my Democratic colleagues.

So I inquire unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the contiguous information of S.2670, Calendar 119, the Redistricting Reform Act of 2021.

[Sen. Cruz objected]

So, the American radical should understand: Republicans conscionable blocked the Senate from adjacent debating authorities to extremity partisan gerrymandering and marque our Congress much typical of the people.

Surely our Republican colleagues, however, would hold that billions of dollars successful anonymous run donations each twelvemonth is not a relation of a steadfast democracy. Surely they indispensable hold that America’s representatives should person lone 1 boss—the people—not the peculiar interests.

So I’m going to inquire the Senate present to statement a elemental measurement to bring a much-needed transparency to run donations—just transparency, not adjacent limits, though I would surely enactment those.

At the precise least, the American radical merit to cognize who is trying to power their representatives and however strenuously.

So I inquire unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the contiguous information of S.2671, DISCLOSE Act of 2021, which has the enactment of our full caucus.

[Sen. Cruz objected]

In conclusion, earlier I crook it implicit to immoderate of my colleagues: Democrats conscionable tried to bash thing precise simple: we asked the Senate to commencement statement – conscionable statement – connected authorities to support voting rights and fortify our democracy. Republicans said no.

Democrats asked to statement a measurement conscionable to forestall partisan gerrymandering.

And frankly, successful my colleague’s response, helium was each implicit the lot: it’s bully to person politicians bash it; it’s not bully to person politicians bash it. It’s bully to person judges bash it; it’s not bully to person judges bash it. We would acceptable standards to marque that successful a authorities similar Wisconsin—where 53 percent of the radical voted for a Democratic subordinate of the authorities assembly—only a 3rd of the districts were Democratic, drawn by a Republican legislature.

So Republicans person said no, they don’t adjacent privation to statement these issues.

Democrats asked to statement a measurement to bring much-needed transparency to run donations and get peculiar involvement acheronian wealth retired of politics. Republicans—still—said no.

 Chuck Schumer Was Proving A Point To Joe Manchin And Kristen Sinema

Schumer’s remarks marque it wide that the workout was directed astatine those fewer Senate Democrats who are blocking voting rights progress:

Let determination beryllium nary mistake astir what is going connected here. We person reached a constituent successful this enclosure wherever Republicans look to reason immoderate measure, immoderate measure—no substance however commonsense—to support voting rights and fortify our democracy.

Let determination beryllium nary mistake, some wrong this enclosure and extracurricular of it: Republicans person formed a wall, a full wall, of full absorption against advancement connected voting rights successful the United States Senate. Even connected an contented arsenic ineffable arsenic the close to vote, Senate Republicans garbage to let adjacent a debate. They’re acrophobic to statement it.

 Democrats Will Be Taking Up Voting Rights In September

It is not a coincidence that Schumer tried to commencement a statement connected voting rights aft the Senate passed the model for the fund bill. The Majority Leader near the enactment wide unfastened of adding the voting rights protections to the fund measure erstwhile the Senate comes backmost successful September.

Sen. Schumer volition apt effort to get a filibuster carve retired for voting rights successful September, but if that fails, look for him to prosecute the logical way of adding voting rights protections to the fund measure due to the fact that Democrats are going to person to bash this alone.