In an interview on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said that she supports killing the filibuster to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights. She didn’t always feel this way.
To recap, Harris made the remarks in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio. In the interview, Harris reiterated her support for restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade, which allowed for nearly all abortions.
“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” Harris stated.
On WPR, Harris announces support for filibuster carve-out to codify Roe:
— Jacob Gardenswartz (@reporterjacobg) September 24, 2024
"I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe and... get us to the point where we 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom" pic.twitter.com/O8NAsrcA5B
This is a far cry from Harris’ previous stance.
In 2017, Harris signed a letter pledging to support the filibuster. A copy of the letter was circulated on X from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
“Her word is meaningless,” he added. “She’ll say anything to get elected.”
“We are writing to urge you to support our efforts to preserve existing rules, practices, and traditions as they pertain to the right of Members to engage in extended debate on legislation before the United States Senate,” the letter said.
“We are mindful of the unique role the Senate plays in the legislative process, and we are steadfastly committed to ensuring that this great American institution continues to serve as the world’s greatest deliberative body,” it added.
🚨Kamala wants to abolish the filibuster, but here's the letter she signed as Senator pledging to support the filibuster to ensure the Senate "continues to serve as the world's greatest deliberative body."
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) September 24, 2024
Her word is meaningless.
She'll say anything to get elected. pic.twitter.com/XzDY4ZfJ8S
This is the latest in a series of flip-flops from Harris. Harris has u-turned on several issues, including fracking, the border crisis, and the Second Amendment, in an attempt to garner support.