US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Congress cannot 'dilute, dither or delay' President Joe Biden's massive economic rescue plan
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Congress cannot 'dilute, dither or delay' President Joe Biden's massive economic rescue plan AFP / OLIVIER DOULIERY

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday vowed to take the next step after Senate Republicans successfully filibustered the “For the People Act,” which passed the Democratic-controlled House in March on a near party-line vote.

H.R. 1, which was the third to be filibustered during the Biden administration, was a top Democratic priority aimed to expand early voting, make it easier to vote by mail, and make campaign contributions more transparent.

“The fight to protect voting rights is not over,” Schumer said. He called the Republican filibuster “ridiculous” and “awful.”

“Make no mistake about it, it will not be the last time voting rights come up in the Senate,” Schumer added.

Democrats have not detailed how they plan to get the For the People Act through the deadlocked Senate, which currently requires 60 votes, meaning 10 additional Republicans would have to sign on to the bill, or most legislation in general.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., had said Democrats would soon have to keep negotiating. “The next step is to continue to work the dialogue between the 50 Senators and evaluate the next approach,” Merkley said.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said she would announce a series of hearings to pass critical voting and campaign finance reforms.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wants Democrats to scrap the filibuster, rather than tweak it as others have suggested.

“If we are serious about calling ourselves a democracy, we must make it easier for people to participate, not harder. Now is the time for majority rule in the Senate. We must end the filibuster, pass sweeping voting rights legislation, and protect our democracy,” he said.

Eliminating the filibuster would require all 50 Democrat votes. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have both said they are against ending the filibuster.

Manchin circulated his own compromise plan that includes automatic voter registration through state motor vehicle departments, at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections, banning partisan gerrymandering, making Election Day a public holiday, and requiring voter identification.

Progressive groups have become more frustrated with Biden given the unclear path ahead, urging him that he needs to be more forceful with the filibuster and voting rights.

Harris presided over the Senate during the failed vote, and Biden says he will speak more publicly on the issue next week, saying the fight is “far from over.” Biden and Harris recently spoke with Schumer, who said Biden is “unshakable in his support.”

On Tuesday, the White House released a statement that the Republican filibuster of the For the People Act "was the suppression of a bill to end voter suppression—another attack on voting rights that is sadly not unprecedented."