In an interview on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said that she supports killing the filibuster to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights.
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
As Townhall covered, She didn’t always feel this way. And, several Democrats pushed back on her latest stance.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a former Democrat, came out against Harris’ remarks, which Townhall reported.
Manchin told CNN that he would not back Harris’ candidacy for the White House over her stance.
“Shame on her,” Manchin said in the Capitol, according to CNN. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
“That ain’t going to happen,” he said of endorsing her. “I think that basically can destroy our country, and my country is more important to me than any one person or any one person’s ideology. … I think it’s the most horrible thing.”
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said, “We should approach it very carefully because what goes around comes around. That’s one of the few permanent rules of the United States Senate,” according to The Hill.
Colorado Democrat Sen. John Hicklelooper said that he thinks “there’s a reasonable chance” that they get 60 votes in the Senate to restore the protections ensured by Roe v. Wade.
“The surest way to ensure that, which makes it much, much more durable, is to get 60 votes, and I think, having talked to Republicans, I think there’s a reasonable chance we could do that. So the first effort would be to go and pass it, get it done with 60 votes,” he said.
“I have actually gone and talked to a couple Republican senators just to sound them out. They’re cautious, but I think people would be surprised. Again, if we get 60 votes, it becomes more durable,” Hickenlooper added.