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US President Biden asks Senators to declare their stand on Democracy

US President Joe Biden gave a statement on changing the Senate's so-called filibuster rules to push the voting rights legislation

Joe Biden

Joe Biden (Photo: Reuters)

ANI US

US President Joe Biden gave a statement on changing the Senate's so-called filibuster rules to push the voting rights legislation and rebuked the former president Donald Trump and his allies for disenfranchising anyone who votes against them.

Taking to Twitter he said, "The next few days when these voting rights bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation. Will we choose democracy over autocracy? Every Senator will have to declare where they stand."

"I ask every elected official in America - how do you want to be remembered?", he added.

Last year, President Joe Biden ripped apart the claims of Donald Trump's 'big lie' about the 2020 presidential election and said that the US is facing the "most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War" due to alleged attempts by the Republican party to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections.

 

Furthermore, he said, "When it comes to protecting majority rule in America, a majority should rule in the United States Senate. To protect our democracy, I support changing the Senate rules to prevent a minority of Senators from blocking action on voting rights."

Earlier, Biden blasted efforts from Trump and others to sow doubt about the 2020 election months after it concluded, which have spurred action from Grand Old Party (Republican Party)-led state legislatures to push new elections laws that would limit absentee voting and make it more difficult for certain groups to vote.

Biden pointed to the dozens of court challenges thrown out by federal judges, including some appointed by Trump. He noted Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia confirmed his victories in each state through audits and recounts, reported The Hill.

Notably, Just hours before Biden spoke, Trump issued a statement calling for Pennsylvania to conduct an audit of the 2020 results, in which Biden won the state by roughly 80,000 votes.

"The goal of the former president and his allies is to disenfranchise anyone who votes against them. That is the kind of power you see in a totalitarian state - not in a democracy. Today, we call on Congress to act to defend your right to vote - and our democracy", he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Jan 12 2022 | 9:04 AM IST

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