Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren issued a very thinly-veiled threat to fellow Democratic senators who aren’t filling in line with President Joe Biden’s voting rights push thus far.
On Tuesday morning’s edition of CBS News’ CBS Mornings, Warren was asked about Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, each of whom has expressed unwillingness to make an exception to the filibuster in order to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
After discussing the obstacles that the pair present to Biden’s agenda with Warren, co-anchor Nate Burleson bluntly asked her “In 2024, should Manchin and Sinema be primaried?”
With a meaningful pause, Sen. Warren said “We’ll — we’ll address that when we get past this week.”
The Senate is set to debate and vote on voting rights bills, as well as rule changes that would allow them to pass with a simple majority.
“OK, let me ask you about 2020, do you believe that President Biden is up for the job?” Burleson followed up.
“President Biden is running for reelection. I expect to support him,” Warren replied.
“His approval ratings are some of the lowest that they’ve been for a very long time,” co-anchor Gayle King interrupted.
“I understand that. But remember, we’ve just finished the first quarter. We’re just starting into the
Co-anchor Tony Dokoupil chimed in that “You only have probably less than a year before you lose both the Senate and the House,” drawing a sharp “Bite your tongue!” from Warren.
Warren isn’t the only one trying to send a message to Manchin and Sinema. Over the weekend, New York Democratic Congressman Adriano Espaillat told radio host Dean Obeidallah that “there must be consequences” for Manchin and Sinema, although he did not specify what those might be.