department of justice will use the remaining tools under the voting rights act to ensure the voters of color are not made more vulnerable by the supreme court s debilitating decision last month in the shelby county voting rights act case. this really is a moment where i think congress can take its cues from the attorney general. the attorney general here having used its tools to ensure that voters of color are not made more vulnerable in this moment, can receive a message of challenge to it. congress, as your viewers know, in 2006, sought to reauthorize the voting rights act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way, 98-0 in the senate. and overwhelmingly found that the voting rights act was needed for an additional period of time. congress last week held two hearings both in the house and the senate to revisit the places where the voting rights acts protection are needed and it needs to continue to stay that course in this moment. when, inside the voting rights act, itself, the part the s
department of justice will use the remaining tools under the voting rights act to ensure the voters of color are not made more vulnerable by the supreme court s debilitating decision last month in the shelby county voting rights act case. this really is a moment where i think congress can take its cues from the attorney general. the attorney general here having used its tools to ensure that voters of color are not made more vulnerable in this moment, can receive a message of challenge to it. congress, as your viewers know, in 2006, sought to reauthorize the voting rights act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way, 98-0 in the senate. and overwhelmingly found that the voting rights act was needed for an additional period of time. congress last week held two hearings both in the house and the senate to revisit the places where the voting rights acts protection are needed and it needs to continue to stay that course in this moment. when, inside the voting rights act, itself, the part the s
more vulnerable by the supreme court s debilitating decision last month in the shelby county voting rights act case. this really is a moment where i think congress can take its cues from the attorney general. the attorney general here having used its tools to ensure that voters of color are not made more vulnerable in this moment, can receive a message of challenge to it. congress, as your viewers know, in 2006, sought to reauthorize the voting rights act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way, 98-0 in the senate. and overwhelmingly found that the voting rights act was needed for an additional period of time. congress last week held two hearings both in the house and the senate to revisit the places where the voting rights acts protection are needed and it needs to continue to stay that course in this moment. when, inside the voting
i am proud to sign the voting rights act reauthorization and amendments act of 2006. the vote in the senate that made it possible for then-president george w. bush to reauthorize the voting rights act seven years ago, that voice was 98-0, famously. in the senate it was unanimous. in the house it was not unanimous. it was still an overwhelming vote, but there were 33 no votes in the house. 33 republicans in the house who voted no that year. and of those 33 house republicans who voted against the voting rights act, 19 of them are still in house as republican members of congress. and occasionally, house republicans do pipe up on this issue. as georgia republican paul broun did last year. he introduced an amendment to block the enforcement of the voting rights act. he braulought it up in the midd of the night. john lewis, that democratic georgia congressman beaten to an inch of his life on the edmond
on that day, african-americans including a member of the united states congress, john lewis [ applause ] marched across the edmund pettus bridge in a protest intended to highlight the unfair practice that kept him off the voter rolls. today we renew a bill. my administration will vigorously enforce the provisions of this law and we will defend it in court. i am proud to sign the voting rights act reauthorization and amendments act of 2006. the vote in the senate that made it possible for then-president george w. bush to reauthorize the voting rights act seven years ago, that voice was 98-0, famously. in the senate it was unanimous. in the house it was not unanimous. it was still an overwhelming