Rev. Al Sharpton hit the stage Saturday during a voting rights rally to tell President Biden that supporters of the filibuster are “stabbing” the Black community “in the back.”
“President Biden met with some of the civil rights leadership and we reminded him…You said the night you won that Black America had your back and that you were going to have Black America’s back,” Sharpton told supporters. “Well, Mr. President, they’re stabbing us in the back. In 49 states, they’ve got their knives out stabbing us in the back.”
AL SHARPTON, VOTING RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FLOCK TO WASHINGTON DC TO MARCH FOR FEDERAL ELECTION REFORMS
The civil rights activist called on Congress to pass the “John Lewis Voting Rights Act” in a move that he believes would counter state voting reform laws.
Republicans have argued that increased regulations around voting secure elections, while Democrats and activists believe that recent state-based legislation targets Black and Brown communities.
The “John Lewis Voting Rights Act” passed in the House 219-212 earlier this week, but its chances of surviving the Senate filibuster appears slim.
“You need to pick up the phone and call Manchin and others and tell them that if they can carve around the filibuster to confirm Supreme Court judges for President Trump, they can carve around the filibuster to bring voter rights to President Biden,” Sharpton said.
MANCHIN SAYS ‘NO’ TO ENDING OR WEAKENING THE FILIBUSTER
Sharpton, along with other voting rights activists, has repeatedly called on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to support weakening or abolishing the filibuster.
But Manchin has flatly rejected the calls to do so.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I have said it before and will say it again to remove any shred of doubt: There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” Manchin said in an op-ed in April.
The West Virginia Democrat has argued that he cannot justify to his constituents a valid reason to weaken a measure that requires the Senate have at least a 60-40 vote in order to pass a bill.
