LIVE: U.S. Senate debates rule change to enact 'talking filibuster' over voting rights legislation.
The vote on the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was 49-51. The vote broke evenly along party lines, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer switched his vote to"no" in the end for procedural reasons. It fell short of the 60 votes required to defeat a filibuster under Senate rules.
That effort, which is expected later Wednesday night and would require only 50 votes, is also expected to fail. On Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., took to the floor to reiterate his support for the 60-vote threshold to pass most bills. He said he's a proud cosponsor of the two voting rights measures but opposes a rule change to pass them.
The new rule would shift the onus away from a Senate majority to find 60 votes to advance the legislation and toward the minority to hold the floor and talk continuously to block bills. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised Manchin and Sinema for backing the 60-vote rule on Wednesday, calling it"the biggest day in the history of the Senate, because we are dealing with the Senate as an institution."
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