Washington Update January 19, 2022

This King quote is something that we live by as families in the care of our loved ones and as family leaders in efforts to bring about systems change. While 2022 has certainly begun in earnest by challenging us with Omicron, weather, politics as usual, hostage situations and so much more, may the words of MLK Jr. continue to inspire and guide you to act no matter the task at hand.

Raising their voices strongly in calling for Voting Rights legislation, the family of Martin Luther King Jr. implored action on the voting rights legislation. And so, the Senate returns today, on what was slated to be a recess week, to take action on the Democrats’ efforts to enact federal elections reform and restore key oversight protections from the Voting Rights Act, a move that is sure to lead to a showdown over the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold. Senate Democrats will gather in person tonight for a special caucus meeting ahead of this week’s risky action for the caucus, which still is not unified on altering the chamber’s filibuster rules in order to pass the elections and voting rights legislation.

A vote is expected as soon as Wednesday. To pass, 60 votes are required; and expected to come up short. That will pave the way for a vote on changing the Senate’s rules. It is still not clear what form that will take – there are not enough votes for eliminating the filibuster outright – but multiple options for tweaking the process have been on the table in recent weeks.

Some House Democrats are urging party leadership to break up Build Back Better (BBB) into a series of votes on popular planks. While on the surface this might appear to be a viable strategy, there is concern that breaking BBB up will not only water down the overall intended impact of the agenda, but may lead to many small bills that will ultimately not pass.