Live updates: Voting rights and negotiations in Congress

LiveCoronavirus pandemicLiveVoting rights legislation By Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal, Melissa Macaya and Melissa Mahtani, CNNFrom CNN's Fredreka Schouten and Clare FornanPresident Biden arrived on Capitol Hill this afternoon as he continues to push for passage of voting legislation in Congress, despite the uphill battle Democrats face amid Republican opposition and resistance within their ranks to changing Senate rules.The Democratic-controlled House approved a measure that combined key provisions of two voting bills: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It will next be sent to the Senate, where a high-profile fight awaits.There, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set the stage for a showdown over voting rights — pledging to muscle through sweeping new federal legislation aimed at counteracting moves by Republicans in state capitols to restrict access to the ballot.But to do so, he must accomplish a near-impossible feat and persuade reluctant senators in his own caucus to change the chamber's rules to bypass the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome Republicans' repeated blockades of the bills.Despite supporting voting measures, two of his fellow Democrats — Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — have defended the so-called filibuster, which requires 10 Republicans to support advancing legislation in an evenly divided 50-50 Senate.Time is running out for Democrats, who are racing to establish new ground rules for voting ahead of this year's midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress.Republican-controlled legislatures, particularly in battleground states that saw increased turnout and Democratic victories in 2020, already have enacted a raft of new laws that limit absentee balloting, impose additional ID requirements and otherwise create new hurdles to voting. He did not respond to a few reporter questions on his way in.Where things stand: The Democratic-controlled House approved a measure that combined key provisions of two voting bills: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It will next be sent to the Senate where a high-profile fight awaits amid Republican opposition and resistance among some Democrats to changing Senate rules.Biden attending the Senate Democratic caucus lunch to discuss the effort to pass voting bills and potential changes to Senate rules, a senior Democratic aide told CNN.But just prior to Biden's arrival on the Hill, Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona reiterated her support for the filibuster, which sets up a 60-vote threshold for most legislation to pass in the Senate. She said this is an effort to push election misinformation and "ultimately to tilt potential future elections in the favor of their party.""It is such an important conversation today because I do hope the US Senate realizes the dire straits the country is in and puts their political ambition aside to save American democracy," she added.From CNN's Clare ForanThe House of Representatives on Thursday passed voting rights legislation ahead of a visit from President Biden to Capitol Hill to make the case for action on voting rights, a key priority for Democrats that faces major obstacles.The Democratic-controlled House approved a measure that combined two voting bills: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It will next be sent to the Senate, where a high-profile fight awaits amid Republican opposition and resistance among some Democrats to changing Senate rules.Biden is expected to attend the Senate Democratic caucus lunch on Thursday to discuss the effort to pass voting bills and potential changes to Senate rules, a senior Democratic aide told CNN.White House press secretary Jen Psaki later confirmed that Biden will attend the Democratic Senate lunch, saying he will go to make the case directly to members for the new voting legislation.Biden's planned trip to Capitol Hill comes after the President called on the Senate in a forceful speech on Tuesday to change its filibuster rules in order to pass voting legislation.