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California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters claimed her Senate colleagues, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., "don't care" about minorities and Black people during an MSNBC interview with host Aaron Gilchrist Sunday.
Waters blasted the senators for giving the Republicans the opportunity to filibuster the Democrats' sweeping voting bill that passed in the House Thursday.
Both Sinema and Manchin have said they oppose eliminating the filibuster.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
"They have sent the signal. They have been clear about it. They don't care about minorities. They don't care about Blacks. They don't care about people in their own districts who they're going to deny their voting rights and undermine their voting rights," Waters said.
"I must always be optimistic. But this is a very difficult time for Democrats," Waters said. "We have two Democrats, Manchin and Sinema, and they are holding up the Democratic agenda. They have decided that they are going to stick with support of the filibuster, and they don't care whether or not they undermine the rights of minorities and Blacks in this country."
Sen. Manchin (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
SENATE FILIBUSTER FIGHT: WHAT’S IN THE DEMOCRATS’ VOTING BILLS AT THE CENTER OF SHOWDOWN?
Democrats believe Republicans are "abus[ing]" the filibuster at the peril of voting rights, while Republicans say the unlimited debate on the Senate floor is a foundational part of the constitutional "spirit."
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The filibuster is an "action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill," according to the Senate rules. The only way to break the maneuver is through cloture, which requires 60 votes. Of the 100 seats in the Senate, Republicans have 50 and Democrats currently have 48 seats, not including two Independents who caucus with the Democrats. This political makeup has caused some stalemates to the Democratic agenda.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives to speak after exiting a meeting with the Senate Democratic Caucus in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
When pressed on what Democrats can do to resolve the stalemate, Waters insisted that there was nothing the party or President Biden can do, and that the issues were entirely because of Republicans.
"It's not what Democrats need to do. We're doing everything that can be done. It's what Republicans need to do. Why is it we don't have one Republican, not one that will stand up for the voting rights for people in this country? And so I hear a lot of talk about our president. He's fighting as hard as he can. I don't know why people think that he can make Manchin and make Sinema do what is right," she said.