Biden calls for changing Senate rules to allow voting bills to pass | TheHill

“And if that bare minimum is blocked, we have no option but to change the Senate rules, including getting rid of the filibuster for this.”The president spoke in Georgia alongside Vice President Harris in the White House’s most concentrated effort to date to put the spotlight and pressure on federal lawmakers in the fight to enact stronger voting protections.He framed the fight over voting rights as a matter of historical significance, suggesting lawmakers must decide whether they want to “be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis,” referencing the former U.S. president and the president of the Confederacy, respectively.Georgia was an intentional backdrop for the speech given its rich history with civil rights figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and the late Rep. John LewisJohn LewisMcConnell blocks simple majority votes on Dems' voting rights bills Democrats face moment of truth in filibuster fight   Biden to 'forcefully advocate' for voting rights in Tuesday speech MORE (D-Ga.), as well as recent efforts by state Republicans to enact new voting laws after former President TrumpDonald TrumpGeorgia prosecutor says decision on Trump election interference case likely coming soon Overnight Defense & National Security — US, Russia have face-to-face sit down Hillicon Valley — Dems press privacy groups over kids' safety MORE’s repeated false claims sowing doubt about the 2020 election results.Biden called on the Senate to advance two pieces of federal voting rights legislation: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. He described both measures as remedies to efforts by Republican-led state legislatures to pass bills making it more difficult for certain groups to vote.“I’ve been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months.