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At the NATO Summit in Madrid on Thursday, President Biden called for eliminating the filibuster in the Senate to pass legislation that would make a right to abortion the law of the land.
“I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that,” Biden said.
“If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should be we provide an exception for this.”
For most measures, Senate rules require 60 votes to cut off debate and move to a vote. The chamber has 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaker.
See Biden’s remarks:
BREAKING: Joe Biden calls for eliminating the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 30, 2022
Taking questions from reporters at the end of the summit, Biden was asked about the polling that indicates 85% of Americans think he has the country on the wrong track. How then can he say, as he did at the previous NATO summit, that “America is back” as the leader of the free world.
Biden insist there are no world leaders who believe America is going backwards, declaring the United States “is better positioned to lead the world than we have ever been.”
“But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy,” he said.
See Biden’s remarks:
Biden: “[T]he one thing that has been destabilizing [the world] is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.” pic.twitter.com/HUuJlOktOH
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 30, 2022
Biden said the “first and foremost thing we should do, is make it clear how outrageous this decision was and how much it impacts – not just on a woman’s right to choose, which is a critical, critical piece – but on privacy generally.”
“And so I’m going to be talking to the governors as to what actions they think I should be taking as well,” he said.
The most important step, he said, is to codify Roe.
“The way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that.”
Biden said that “if the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should be we provide an exception for this.”
See the entire Biden news conference Thursday in Madrid:
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Earlier this year, Biden urged the Senate to make an exception to the filibuster rule to pass what Democrats describe as “voting rights” legislation, which would eliminate election safeguards such as voter ID.
Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia – which gave President Trump nearly 69% of its vote in 2020 – and Kyrsten Sinema of swing-state Arizona blocked the move.
During the news conference, NBC News reporter Kelly O’Donnell noted that Biden, a professing Catholic, has declared opposition to abortion in the past.
“Are you the best messenger to carry this forward?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am. I’m the president of the United States of America. That makes me the best messenger,” he said.
Biden asserted the court’s overturn of Roe has a broader effect on “the right to privacy,” which he said would effect the 2015 ruling establishing a right to same-sex marriage, among others.
“They just wiped it all out,” he said.
“And so, I’m the only president they got, and I feel extremely strongly that I’m going to do everything in my power, which I legally can do in terms of executive orders, as well as push the Congress and the public,” Biden said.
“The bottom line here is: If you care, if the polling data is correct, and you think this decision by the court was an outrage or a significant mistake, vote. Show up and vote.”
On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster to pass an abortion-rights law.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted that he “wholeheartedly” agrees with Biden on carving out a filibuster exception.
“Senators, you have the support of your party, your president, and the American people,” he wrote.
“What are you waiting for?”
However, Vice President Harris said in a CNN interview Monday evening that “given the current composition of the Senate, the votes aren’t there.”
She said that fact underscores “the importance of an election that is only 130-odd days away.”
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