Clyburn s message to Joe Manchin on voting rights 09:19 (CNN)Leaders of eight civil rights organizations warned President Joe Biden on Thursday that time is running short to enact new voting rules protecting Americans right to cast ballots.
The dire message, delivered during a candid session in the White House Roosevelt Room, came as Democrats clamor for the President to do and say more on the issue after defeats in Congress and the Supreme Court.
Biden and his team have repeatedly previewed a major push on voting rights after Senate Republicans blocked a sweeping election reform bill last month. Biden told reporters last week he planned on speaking extensively on voting rights, along with going on the road on this issue.
President Biden and Vice President Harris met today with leaders from legacy Black civil rights organizations. The group discussed the wave of anti-voter legislation that has recently passed or is pending in state legislatures across the country and the path forward to protect the right to vote. The group also discussed steps the Administration recently announced to address the rise in gun violence and the status of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that is currently being negotiated in the Senate. The President and Vice President reiterated that they will continue to push for Congress to pass critical legislation that protects the right to vote and combats subversion of the election process, while continuing to utilize all existing authorities in an all-of-government effort to ensure full voter participation and elections that reflect the will of the people.
White House Announces $25M Investment in Voting Rights Campaign
Democrats and civil rights leaders alike unveiled their latest strategy to overcome a gridlocked Senate where Republicans have blocked passage of Democratic backed voting rights and police reform laws.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about voting rights at Howard University in Washington, Thursday, July 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON (CN) On voting rights and police reform, Congress has hit a standstill. But hoping to juice negotiations, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with civil rights leaders Thursday before announcing a $25 million investment in a Democratic National Committee voting rights initiative.
Biden administration capitulates to Republican attacks on voting rights
President Joe Biden met Thursday afternoon with the leaders of many US civil rights organizations, amid mounting criticism that the Democratic Party, both in Congress and in his administration, was doing little or nothing to counter an aggressive Republican drive to attack voting rights and erect more and more barriers to those seeking to cast a ballot, particularly among poor and minority voters.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters as she leaves the Senate chamber following the procedural vote on the For the People Act, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)