Clyburn: Allowing filibuster to be used to deny voting rights would be 'catastrophic'
By Aris Folley - 03/07/21 10:55 AM EST House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in a new interview that allowing the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights would be “catastrophic†as a sweeping elections bill awaits consideration in the Senate.
“There’s no way under the sun that in 2021 that we are going to allow the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights. That just ain’t gonna happen. That would be catastrophic,†Clyburn told The Guardian in an interview published Sunday, just days after the House voted largely along party lines to pass The For The People Act, also known as H.R. 1.
While Clyburn clarified that he is not “going to say that you must get rid of the filibuster,†he said the party “would do well to develop a Manchin-Sinema rule on getting around the filibuster as it relates to race and civil rights.â€
The comments come after Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have been criticized by liberals over their opposition to certain issues supported by some on the left, including eliminating the filibuster. The lawmakers were also recently among the seven Democrats this past week who voted against a proposal to increase hourly federal minimum wage to $15.
“If Manchin and Sinema enjoy being in the majority, they had better figure out a way to get around the filibuster when it comes to voting and civil rights,†Clyburn told The Guardian.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/542001-clyburn-allowing-filibuster-to-be-used-to-deny-voting-rights-would-be