Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said Sunday that he will support an effort to bypass the Senate’s filibuster rules in order to approve voting rights legislation.
The story: King appeared on CNN on Sunday for an interview with host Jake Tapper on his “State of the Union” show. At one point during the interview, the two discussed the evenly divided Senate and how the 50-50 chamber has made it difficult for either party to move forward with their legislation.
What he said: The Maine Senator told Tapper that lawmakers in the Senate have worked with colleagues on the other side of the aisle on some bills but not on others. He said the legislation aimed at bolstering competitiveness with China was a good example of bipartisan work but noted that “if the bill had had Joe Biden’s name on it we wouldn’t be even talking about it.”
King called the infrastructure bill a “good test” for the Senate, adding that “there’s not a lot of policy there … it’s just numbers.”
Tapper then asked the Senator about his stance on the filibuster and whether he would be in favor of nixing it.
“Just to get a yes or no, it sounds like you are not in a place where you are ready to get rid of the filibuster yet,” Tapper told the senator.
King suggested that he does not support ending the filibuster but would stand behind the move if Republicans block voting rights legislation.
“Not in general. I’m very reluctant about it,” King replied. “[But] if it comes down to voting rights and the rights of Americans to go to the polls and select their leaders versus the filibuster, I’ll choose democracy.”
Sen. Angus King says he is "reluctant" to get rid of the filibuster, adding that, "If it comes down to voting rights and the rights of Americans to go to the polls and select their leaders versus the filibuster, I'll choose democracy" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/joRmlSlEpb
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 6, 2021
Not a first: King weighed in on the filibuster debate earlier this year in a Washington Post op-ed. He described voting rights legislation as a “special case.”
“All-out opposition to reasonable voting rights protections cannot be enabled by the filibuster; if forced to choose between a Senate rule and democracy itself, I know where I will come down,” King wrote.
