Six Republican Senators, including Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Rand Paul, voted to block debate on the Asian-American hate crimes bill.
Sahil Kapur tweeted:
An interesting strategy from McConnell not to filibuster the bill on the front end; to have a debate, push amendments (of which Republicans have many) and engage Democrats.
There is still a 60-vote hurdle to move to a final vote.
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A test case of whether this leads to an outcome.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 14, 2021
The six Republicans who voted NO on beginning debate over Mazie Hirono’s Asian American hate crimes bill:
Cotton
Cruz
Hawley
Marshall
Paul
Tuberville— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 14, 2021
The six Republican Senators were voting to enable hate crimes against Asian-Americans. It is telling that at least three of the six Senatore who tried to block debate are likely Republican presidential candidates. Sens. Paul, Hawley, and Cruz are all rumored to be weighing 2024 presidential campaigns.
Apparently, they believe that the path to the 2024 Republican nomination runs through enabling hate crimes against Asian-Americans. The motion to proceed to debate passed 92-6, but the votes of those six Republicans speak volumes about the cynicism of potential Republican candidates and the degree to which the GOP is out of step with the rest of America on issues like hate crimes against Asian-Americans.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association