Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic measure to revive the Equal Rights Amendment, dealing yet another blow to supporters who have pushed for more than five decades to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex.
Democrats failed to win the necessary 60 votes to move forward with the resolution, which would have removed a 1982 deadline for state ratification and reopened the process to amend the Constitution.
The 51-47 vote included support from two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — well short of the 10 GOP votes needed.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., put the resolution up for a vote this week, even as it was unlikely to pass. He said it was especially timely in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.
“Women in America have far fewer rights today than they did even a year ago,” Schumer said.
After the vote, Schumer said the Senate is “not giving up,” and would keep trying to pass the measure.
Congress sent the amendment, which guarantees men and women equal rights under the law, to the states in 1972. It gave states seven years to ratify it, later extending the deadline to 1982. But the amendment wasn’t ratified by the required three-quarters of states before the deadline.
At the same time, several states — including Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho, Kentucky and South Dakota — have attempted to remove their prior approval.
States can support the federal version individually, though it is not ratified into the U.S. Constitution, so those ratifications remain mostly symbolic.
In a statement of policy, the White House said that President Joe Biden “strongly supports” extending the deadline and that it is long past time.
“Gender equality is not only a moral issue – the full participation of women and girls across all aspects of our society is essential to our economic prosperity, our security, and the health of our democracy,” the White House said.
Republicans have argued that Democrats are trying to rewrite history.
“The Democrats’ novel unconstitutional approach bypasses states’ rights and circumvents the process our founders put in place,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., after the vote. “This is simply another liberal wish list item meant to drive a political wedge.”
President Biden and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell meet at the White House today for the first time since Powell's renomination to the position. The President and the Fed Chair discussed the economy and historically high inflation, as new data shows inflation may be cooling slightly. Morning Consult economic analyst Jesse Wheeler joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how the Biden administration at the U.S. central bank can work together to combat soaring prices for American consumers.
In the second part of Cheddar's talk with Governor Asa Hutchinson, the Republican from Arkansas discussed his state's abortion trigger law and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas law that would prevent social media platform moderation currently being held up by the U.S. Supreme Court, and rumors of his 2024 presidential run. "I did go to New Hampshire. I am testing the waters out there, so no decision at this point. But we're looking at it," he said, noting that if former President Donald Trump runs, it would not affect his own decision.
Cheddar Politics looks at the ongoing efforts to pass meaningful gun safety laws in both Chambers of Congress following multiple mass shootings. Lisa Hagen, senior political reporter for U.S. News and World Report, helps break down why Senators are hopeful that a modest bipartisan gun safety package might be able to overcome a filibuster.
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines this morning including updates on the Tulsa medical center shooting, Johnny Depp V. Amber Heard verdict, and Democrats push for gun control reform.
After two subway shootings in two months and the more recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, Mayor Eric Adams is calling for gun detection scanners to be installed in New York City subways. The tech would be similar to that used in sporting arenas, however, experts note multiple difficulties with such a setup including the need for nearby human operators.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, House lawmakers hold an emergency hearing on gun control measures in the wake of the Uvalde shooting, the Supreme Court temporarily blocks Texas' law stopping social media moderation, and the James Webb Space Telescope gets a new mission.
With the baby formula in the United States surging to an out-of-stock rate of 70 percent, the FDA has given Abbott permission to reopen its Michigan plant amid the crisis and authorized foreign imports. Professor Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing shortage and its wide impact. “As difficult as things is in urban areas, they’re even worse in small communities and tribal areas where parents can't just go to the next store on the corner," he said. Pitts also noted that the Abbott factory was a "disaster" prior to its shutdown and that it would have been "regulatory malpractice" to have left it open.
Cheddar's Megan Pratz reports from the ground in Uvalde, Texas where the community's grief and frustration with lawmakers and police officers grows as more details emerge.
