Democrats search for path forward on voting rights after Senate bill fails
CBSN
Washington — Senate Republicans blocked a sweeping elections and ethics reform bill on Tuesday, dealing a significant blow to Democratic efforts to secure voting rights protections on the federal level. But the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress insist that the fight to pass voting rights legislation is not over.
The bill, known as the For the People Act, failed along party lines in a 50-50 vote, far short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The legislation was Democrats' answer to restrictive voting measures enacted in Republican-led states following the 2020 presidential election. Despite its failure and Republicans' staunch opposition, Democratic leaders say they have several options to move forward with strengthening voting rights. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is leading the Biden administration's efforts on voting rights, said in a statement on Tuesday that "we will not give in, and we will continue the fight to strengthen the right to vote."Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.