Biden supports suspending filibuster to pass abortion protections

Joe Biden
(Image credit: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

President Biden said Thursday that he would back suspending the Senate's filibuster rule, if necessary, to pass a federal law protecting abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

"I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law and the way to do that is to make sure Congress votes to do that," Biden said, per NPR. Under the filibuster rule, most bills have to clear a 60-vote threshold to reach a final vote. With the Senate split 50-50, Democrats need their entire caucus and 10 Republicans to meet that bar.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized Biden, accusing him of undermining "equal justice and the rule of law."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.