Biden calls for dropping filibuster rules to put abortion rights into law

It’s a stark call from a President who has so far been loath to push for any changes to Senate rules despite calls from progressives to do away with the filibuster in order to pass his agenda. Biden had told CNN’s Anderson Cooper at a town hall last year that he would be open to altering the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation “and maybe more.” His comments on Thursday mark the first time he’s expressed total willingness to eliminate the filibuster specifically for abortion rights.

The Senate doesn’t have the 60 votes needed to codify Roe v. Wade under current rules.

Key moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have expressed opposition to changing filibuster rules.

Manchin is open to codifying Roe v. Wade legislatively, but on Thursday, Sinema’s office reiterated that the senator is still opposed to gutting the filibuster on any topic, including on reproductive rights.

Sinema’s office pointed to a Washington Post op-ed the senator wrote last year in which she argued that the filibuster has been used to protect abortion rights and block things like 20-week abortion bans.