House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “All In” that there should be special exceptions where the filibuster rule does not apply to voting rights and civil rights.
Clyburn said, “It’s not just HR1 that I’m concerned about. Remember, it has a lot to do with redistricting with financing campaigns. That’s got nothing to do with voting rights and civil rights. HR4 that we have renamed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act is coming forward. We hope it would be ready by the fourth, the sixth of August, the anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act so that we can get that out. I don’t think these things should be subjective to the filibuster. I think it is very clear, if we can make an exception to the filibuster rules for budgets, we ought to be able to make it for any other civil or voting right that exists. Protected classes are treated specially, is that ought to not, the filibuster ought not to apply to benefits and other issues surrounding protective classes. So that’s what I think we should do. I’m not saying get rid of the filibuster. If the president wants to keep the filibuster, fine. Let do it for civil rights and voting rights.”
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