To suppress the vote yet, we had 160 million people vote in November in the middle of a pandemic. Why, because a number of states had extended vote by mail they made it easier to register they made it easier to early vote, why would we close the door on that now. This is a moment you only get maybe every 50 years for civil rights for elections and that is why Senator Schumer made this as one and why we are so devoted to passing this bill.
I feel like the devotion to passing this bill is something that I am seeing in real time and here and I believe in the sincerity of it. What I don't understand is the plan to get it past this, if the filibuster is still in place, then the only way to pass things without Republican support is to go through budget reconciliation, this isn't, broadly speaking, the kind of thing that can pass through budget reconciliation, what is the what is the plan to hope that public support, eventually drives Republicans to change their minds.
Let's start with this it's passed the House, that's always a good thing. Number two, first time we've ever had a hearing on this bill, and we're going to have a markup to get it to the floor, which we can do in a 5050 Senate after. In April, the month of April, on my committee. Then we go forward in this bills led by Senator Merkley he's doing a great job we go to the floor. And there, of course we there's nine bipartisan provisions in there, we do try to build support, but barring that, we already have Senator Manchin, talking about the fact that was some version of this bill or any bill he's willing to move to a talking filibuster, you know what that means. That means we actually make make the other side, speak, we make them stand and speak, and they have to come in, day after day and night after night by can Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and own their objections to common sense reforms supported broadly by Democrats and Republicans out there, to me it's a little like the American rescue plan. They were the objecting to that but the people wanted it and we got it done with 51 votes. So you start with getting into the floor and from there, jump off a lot of things can happen.
Sign me up for a front row seat, Senator Amy Klobuchar Chair of the Rules Committee. That's more than just determination that sounds like a plan. Thanks for helping us understand it tonight we'll have you back to talk about it more as it goes through the process.
