(Headline USA) Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and several other congressional leftists revamped their calls to abolish the Senate’s filibuster on Monday in light of a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court that revealed the bench is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The leaked draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito, says Roe was wrongly decided and would hand the matter of abortion rights back to the states. Four other conservative justices have reportedly signed onto Alito’s opinion, though they can change their minds up until the release of the decision.
Sanders blasted the leaked decision as an assault on “reproductive rights” and urged Senate Democrats to abolish the Senate’s filibuster, a legislative tool that requires the majority party to reach 60 votes to pass most legislation.
Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW. And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 3, 2022
“Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., agreed, and went one step further by calling on Democrats to also “expand the court.”
Overturning Roe would put the lives of women across the country at risk. It would fly in the face of decades of precedent and the overwhelming majority of public opinion. And they will not stop here.
Expand the court. https://t.co/EDktEETxvb
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 3, 2022
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., chimed in as well:
This will endanger the very people who need access to legal abortion. The Senate must pass the House legislation to codify Roe, #AbolishTheFilibuster, and #ExpandSCOTUS.
Safe abortions are still legal and we must keep it that way. https://t.co/Y5VrUXH6vY
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 3, 2022
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., specifically took a shot at Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who has been opposed to abolishing the filibuster in the past.
We could protect Roe tomorrow, but Sinema refuses to act on the filibuster. Until that changes she can take a seat talking about “women’s access to health care.”
Hold everyone contributing to this disaster accountable, GOP & Dem obstructionists included. She should be primaried. https://t.co/NWLsixsiNH
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 3, 2022
