Democrats Blast Mitch McConnell for Delaying John Lewis' Voting Rights Act Extension

House and Senate Democrats are now pushing to have the bill passed and named in honor of the late civil rights leader.

Mitch McConnell's attempt at a tribute to the late John Lewis went left in a hurry.

This morning, the Senate majority leader issued a statement on the late civil rights icon's legacy and congressional tenure, reflecting on the time they joined hands to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King in 2008. But the gesture of goodwill was swiftly outed as something less genuine by Democratic Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, who noted McConnell's inaction on H.R. 4, a bill that seeks to amend and renew the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Specifically, the bill would require federal approval for any change in a state's voting procedures, hoping to deter voter suppression and fraud. Now, Stabenow is rallying Dems to pressure McConnell into passing the bill and naming it in honor of Lewis, who lead the march on Selma that spurred the signing of the original legislation by Lyndon B. Johnson. According to a statement from Stabenow's press secretary, H.R. 4 is one of hundreds of House-passed bills that have piled up on McConnell's desk over the last year, including another voting rights bill the would increase access to the ballot and defend voting systems from the influence of big money (also championed by Lewis before his medical leave in late 2019.)

Read McConnell's full statement below and hold tight for any updates on the signing of H.R. 4.