[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S42-S43]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Anniversary of January 6

  Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, January 6, 2022, marks 1 year since the 
attempted coup at our Nation's Capitol.
  I am deeply grateful for the Capitol Police for their heroic acts on 
that dark day. The American people will always remember the sacrifices 
they made to protect our democracy.
  But marking this date has another purpose, too. The January 6 
insurrection made painfully clear that American democracy is seriously 
at risk. In November of 2020, American citizens braved a deadly 
pandemic to cast their ballots. But following that election, the 
defeated President refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
  Instead, he falsely sowed doubt about the legitimacy of the election 
and inflamed his most dangerous supporters to attack this Capitol. His 
attempts to cling to power through lies and violence were a violation 
of his oath of office and a grave abuse of power that can never be 
tolerated in a free and democratic society.
  We mark this anniversary not only to reflect on that dereliction of 
duty, but also to call out the ongoing efforts to undermine our 
democracy.
  Threats to our democracy are not new. For years, in State after 
State, Republican legislatures have passed laws making it harder to 
vote, all on a purely partisan basis with simple majority votes. They 
have imposed strict voter ID requirements and purged voter rolls to 
disenfranchise minority voters. They have made it harder to vote by 
mail and register to vote. They have gerrymandered districts for 
partisan political gain.
  Over the past year, these shameless efforts have become even more 
brazen. Just as the former President was clear that he wanted to 
overturn the results of the 2020 election, Trump and his allies are 
entirely transparent about their goal of overturning future elections. 
Today, Republican opponents of democracy are exploiting every possible 
avenue to allow their party to maintain control, even if that means 
overturning the will of the American people.
  Rather than putting a stop to these attacks on voting rights, the 
Supreme Court has enabled them. The Roberts Court gutted the core of 
the Voting Rights Act, which is why Republican legislatures right now 
can pass anti-voter laws with ease.
  Last year, they destroyed what was left of the country's landmark 
voting rights law, making it nearly impossible to block laws with 
racially discriminatory effects. They twice overturned key protections 
against dark money in our elections, and they gave a green light to 
partisan gerrymandering.
  The Senate must not turn a blind eye while the Federal judiciary and 
State legislatures lead an all-out assault against free and fair 
elections in America. It is clear that Donald Trump's Republican Party 
is embracing an increasingly authoritarian movement.
  In 2006, the Voting Rights Act was reauthorized unanimously in the 
U.S. Senate. And yet today, only one Republican supports the Voting 
Rights Act, and none have endorsed the Freedom to Vote Act. The Senate 
filibuster means that Mitch McConnell gets a veto and Congress cannot 
protect the sacred right to vote unless Republican politicians agree, 
all while they are actively undermining our democracy in State after 
State.

[[Page S43]]

  My view on this is simple: We did not swear an oath to protect a 
procedural rule like the filibuster, which has been the tool of racial 
segregation and Jim Crow. No, we swore an oath to defend the 
Constitution. When the Senate rules stand in the way of voting rights 
legislation, then those Senate rules must change.
  A year after an insurrection at our Nation's Capitol, we must do more 
than speak up about the importance of democracy. Now, we must act. It 
is time to end the filibuster, time to protect voting rights, and time 
to defend our democracy.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.