Texas Democrats pressure Congress to block state-GOP voting restrictions

Texas Democrats in Washington Tuesday said they would pressure Congress to block state-GOP voting restrictions and planned to meet with key Senate Democrat Joe Manchin.

Texas Democrats spent Tuesday in Washington pressuring Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation and calling for an exception to the Senate's filibuster rule blocking Democrats from moving forward with a measure they say would stop GOP-led efforts to restrict voting in Texas and nationwide. The state lawmakers were expected to meet with a key Democrat who has resisted changing the filibuster rule requiring 60 votes to advance legislation -- West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. He and Arizona Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema are playing a pivotal role in the ongoing congressional negotiations over a national voting rights bill. It is unclear if the Texas Democrats will hold meetings with Sinema. If both she and Manchin were to agree to an exception to the rule -- Senate Democrats with their 50 votes, along with Vice President Kamala Harris -- could pass the bill congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden have made a top priority. Biden was making his case in a high-profile speech in Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon.