Jen Psaki on For the People Act: 'I’m not gonna accept that it died'

On The Mehdi Hasan Show Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the assertion that the For the People Act is done for. Senate Republicans used the filibuster to prevent debate on the voting rights bill last month.

“The For the People Act, which you’ve twice tonight said he (Biden) wants to get passed into law,” Hasan said, “died in the Senate last month because of the filibuster.” “I’m not gonna accept that it died. We’re still fighting for it,” Psaki replied. “The vice president’s gonna help lead this effort, and the president’s gonna be engaged in this effort, and we’re gonna continue to do hard things from the White House.”

This continued push to pass the For the People Act comes as Republican state legislatures across the country are fighting to pass more restrictive voting laws. Hundreds of these laws have been introduced, with dozens already having been passed.

“I know it’s hard. It’s not an easy path, but we do hard things,” Psaki said. “He is going to keep talking about this as president, keep elevating it, but he’s also gonna empower the American people because he believes in the American people and in our democracy, and what we can do to fight against these laws.”

Video Transcript

- For the People act, which you've twice tonight said, he wants to get passed into law, died in the Senate last month.

JEN PSAKI: I'm not going to accept that it died. We're still fighting for it. The vice president's going to help lead this effort, and the president's going to be engaged in this effort.

KYLIE MAR: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki appeared on "The Mehdi Hassan Show" Sunday, where she spoke about President Biden's desire to pass the For the People Act, the Voting Rights bill that was filibustered by Senate Republicans. This comes as Republican state legislatures across the country continue to fight to pass more restrictive voting laws.

JEN PSAKI: I know it's hard. It's not an easy path, but we do hard things. He is going to keep talking about this as president, keep elevating it. But he's also going to empower the American people, because he believes in the American people and in our democracy and what we can do to fight against these laws.

KYLIE MAR: Psaki also addressed growing calls among Biden allies for the president to put forth more of an effort for filibuster reform in order to pass the For the People Act.

JEN PSAKI: He still supports the talking filibuster. Still thinks it shouldn't be easy to filibuster legislation. This is a Senate procedural process, not one he actually gets a vote on. An important one. One that warrants debate. One that warrants discussion, and certainly the obstruction may change the minds of people in the Senate.