Joe Biden gambles big on ‘nuclear option’ in US voting rights fight
- The president called for a change to Senate filibuster rules so Democrats can push through reforms he says are crucial to saving American democracy
- Republicans will see such a move as a declaration of war. And to even get to that point, Biden first needs the support of sceptical lawmakers from his own party
Speaking in Atlanta, Georgia, the cradle of the civil rights movement, Biden – who declared the Capitol riot by supporters of Donald Trump last year an “attempted coup” – declared “this is the moment to decide to defend our elections, to defend our democracy”.
He challenged Democrats holding a razor-thin majority in the Senate to stand up for two bills that would expand access to polls and prevent practices that Biden said are being used to suppress black and other Democratic-leaning voters.
“Each one of the members of the Senate will be judged by history for where they stood before the vote and after the vote. There’s no escape,” Biden said.
The 50 Democrats in the Senate support the two bills – but under current rules 60 votes are needed to get them passed.