Biden says he is 'profoundly disappointed' after Senate Dems Manchin and Sinema joined Republicans in killing off his voting rights bill by voting 52-48 to keep the filibuster

 President Joe Biden suffered a stinging defeat Wednesday night as Senate Democrats failed to advance their voting rights legislation in yet another major blow to Biden's domestic agenda.

'I am profoundly disappointed that the United States Senate has failed to stand up for our democracy. I am disappointed — but I am not deterred,' the president wrote in a statement late Wednesday. 

Biden was handed another blow as Democratic centrist Senators Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona joined all 50 Republicans to thwart their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster after a raw, emotional debate.

With Vice President Kamala Harris standing by to break a 50-50 tie, but the rules change was rejected in a 52-48 vote, and Harris left before the final roll call. 

Democrats needed 60 votes in order to end debate and initiate a vote on the legislation that would overhaul U.S. voting laws.

The package combined two separate legislative items that were already passed by the House — the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The bills would make Election Day a holiday, adjust the redistricting process and crack down on money in politics. 

Despite a day of piercing debate and speeches that often carried echoes of an earlier era when the Senate filibuster was deployed by opponents of civil rights legislation, Democrats could not persuade holdout senators Sinema and Manchin to change the Senate procedures on this one bill and allow a simple majority to advance it.

The Democrats' hopes to pass voting rights bill by ending filibuster rules went down in flames

President Joe Biden, who blasted Republicans as obstructionists during press conference earlier on Wednesday, posted tweet (below) shortly after Democrats failed to push through his agenda later in the day

Republicans also were able to block Democrats from limiting debate on voting rights package

Vice President Kamala Harris attended the Senate session on Wednesday evening but was not needed to cast a tie-breaking vote

Protesters organized by ShutDownDC wave their signs which read 'protect your voting rights' as the motorcade of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris drives by on her way to the U.S. Capitol during the live debate between U.S. Senators of voting rights legislation in Washington on January 19

But Biden said he would not be deterred from continuing to push for getting voting rights legislation passed. 

'My Administration will never stop fighting to ensure that the heart and soul of our democracy — the right to vote — is protected at all costs,' he wrote in his Wednesday statement following the vote. 'We will continue to work with allies to advance necessary legislation to protect the right to vote. And to push for Senate procedural changes that will protect the fundamental right to vote.'

The blow comes as midterm campaigns commence and Democrats try to hold onto their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate.

Manchin forcefully defended his opposition to changing the filibuster rule, even though he supports the voting rights legislation itself. His vote would be needed to overturn the rule.

'Let this change happen in this way and the Senate will be a body without rules,' Manchin said. 'We don't have to change the rules to make our case to the American people for voting rights.'

Biden said during a rare news conference earlier on Wednesday that he had not given up hope of advancing voting rights.

'We've not run out of options yet,' Biden said.

Both Manchin and Sinema say they support the legislation, but Democrats fell far short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill over the Republican filibuster. It failed 51-49 on a largely party-line vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cast a procedural vote against the bill so it could be considered later. 

Next, Schumer put forward a rules change for a 'talking filibuster' on this one bill. It would require senators to stand at their desks and exhaust the debate before holding a simple majority vote, rather than the current practice that simply allows senators to privately signal their objections.

But that, too, failed because Manchin and Sinema were unwilling to change the Senate rules in a party-line vote by Democrats alone.

Republicans wasted no time in lauding the Biden defeat as a win for former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged and riddled with fraud by Democrats.

'The Democrat election lie died tonight,' Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a Wednesday evening statement.

'Joe Biden calling Americans racist for wanting voter ID was never a winning strategy, and neither was trying to break the Senate to appease radical left-wing activists,' she added. 'Americans are facing real problems like rampant crime and rising prices, but Joe Biden doesn't care.'

Emotions were on display during the Senate floor debate.

When Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois asked Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky whether he would pause for a question, McConnell left the chamber, refusing to respond.

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema walks outside Senate chamber before casting her No vote to end filibuster

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia fields phone call before casting vote against eliminating the filibuster

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (C) walks with staffers to the Senate chamber for a procedural vote on voting rights legislation, on Capitol Hill on January 19

Protesters, one holding a sign which reads 'we want actual democracy', gather around a screen projecting the live debate from U.S. Senators, including U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), of voting rights legislation near the U.S. Capitol building on January 19

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harrus departs the Senate Chambers after presiding over a procedural vote on ending the voting rights legislation debate process on January 19

Sen. Bernie Sanders (center) talks to reporters after Democrats lost bid to bypass filibuster and pass voting rights bill

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) speaks to reporters as he leaves the Senate Chambers of the Capitol following a vote on amendments to Senate procedures on January 19

Durbin said he would have asked McConnell, 'Does he really believe that there's no evidence of voter suppression?'

The No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, said at one point, 'I am not a racist.'

McConnell, who led his party in doing away with the filibuster's 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees during Donald Trump's presidency, warned against changing the rules again.

McConnell derided the 'fake hysteria' from Democrats over the states' new voting laws and called the pending bill a federal takeover of election systems. He said doing away with filibuster rules would 'break the Senate.'

Manchin drew a roomful of senators for his own speech, upstaging the president's news conference and defending the filibuster. He said changing to a majority-rule Senate would only 'add fuel to the fire' and the 'dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart.'

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked across the Capitol building for the proceedings. 

'We want this Senate to act today in a favorable way. But if it don't, we ain't giving up,' said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest-ranking Black member of Congress.

Manchin did open the door to a more tailored package of voting law changes, including to the Electoral Count Act, which was tested during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. He said senators from both parties are working on that and it could draw Republican support.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said a bipartisan coalition should work on legislation to ensure voter access, particularly in far-flung areas like her state, and to shore up Americans' faith in democracy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began debate on the Democrats' doomed voting rights legislation on Tuesday and called Republican opposition to the bill an 'implicit endorsement of Donald Trump's big lie.'

He continued the condemnation of the opposition party on Wednesday evening as Republicans voted to block the legislation.

Schumer doubled down on his promise Tuesday to move to kill the filibuster if Republicans use it to stop the voting rights legislation from advancing, which ultimately happened Wednesday evening.

'The eyes of the nation will be watching what happens this week in the United States Senate,' Schumer said on Tuesday. 'The public is entitled to know where each senator stands on an issue as sacrosanct as defending our democracy. The American people deserve to see their senators go on record.'

'Republicans will have to choose which side they stand on protecting democracy or offering their implicit endorsement of Donald Trump's big lie,' he said, referring to Trump's false claim he won the 2020 election.

Meanwhile Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Democrats for turning against the filibuster after once supporting it when Republicans were in the majority.

Democrats often wield the filibuster when in the minority, even as recently has during Trump's administration.

'Until the last couple of years, senators on both sides have understood the Senate is not here to rubber stamp massive changes under thin majorities,' McConnell said.

'This is about one party wanting the power to unilaterally rewrite the rulebook,' he noted.

Manchin also recognized the hypocrisy of his own party during remarks from the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon.

'Just four years ago 61 of us – 61 senators, myself being one, 33 of us on the Democrat side, many of which are studying in the chamber today, you've heard this many times – we sent a letter to Senator Schumer and to Senator McConnell warning them of the dangers of eliminating the filibuster,' Manchin said during his remarks Wednesday.

'That letter presented a united front committed to preserve the ability of the members to engage in extended debate when bills are on the Senate floor,' he continued. 'Well some of the senators have changed their positions. I have not. I respect that this is a two way street. And I would hope you would respect where I am.'

'I respected you had changed your position on this. I would hope that you would respect that I have not and I have never wavered on this. I do not and will not attack the contents of the character of anybody who's changed their positions, and I would hope you would give me the same opportunity and not attack mine.'

Biden has personally lobbied Manchin and Sinema to support killing the filibuster on this issue so the bill can advance, but his efforts have been for naught.

When Biden went to Atlanta last Tuesday to discuss voting rights, several local civil rights activists boycotted his address out of frustration about the lack of action.

Stacey Abrams, the voting rights activists who helped Biden win Georgia in 2020, wasn't there due to a 'conflict.'

The vote came hours after Biden defended his presidency on Wednesday by bragging he has 'outperformed' expectations, slamming Republicans for working against him and then saying some GOP lawmakers secretly have told him they're on his side but too worried about a primary to publicly support him.

In the wide-ranging press conference, he admitted he'd likely have to break up his stalled Build Back Better bill to get it passed, predicted a Russian 'move in' on the Ukraine and defended the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer.

Speaking the day before his one-year anniversary in office, Biden started his first press conference in 78 days by tackling the two issues that are behind his falling poll numbers: the COVID pandemic and the record high inflation hurting the economy. The president's approval rating has dropped to the low 40s as voters give him low marks on those two issues.

'It's been a year of challenges but also been a year of enormous progress,' Biden said in his second solo press conference held in the White House.

He spoke for nearly two hours and took questions from 24 reporters in the room. He made none of the verbal gaffes he's made at past press events - such as Kamala Harris the president - but he grew snippy at one point when asked about a voting rights speech where he compared Republicans to prominent white supremacists. He also played the role of time-keeper, repeatedly checking his watch and noting how long he was taking questions.

'I'm still standing,' he said as he approached the two hour mark.

He also blamed Republicans for stalled legislation on Capitol Hill, saying what he didn't expect in his first year was for GOP lawmakers to be so unsupportive.

'I did not anticipate that there would be such a stalwart effort to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn't get anything done,' the president said.

'Think about this. What are Republicans for? What are they for? Name me one thing they're for,' the president continued. ' I haven't been able to do so far is get my Republican friends to get in the game and making things better in this country.'

He said he likes Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell but blamed him for legislation on Capitol Hill being stalled by moderate Democrats.

'Mitch has been very clear. He will do anything to prevent Biden from being a success,' he said.

Biden also said he's had private conversations with five Republican senators who told him they're on his side but too worried about being primaried in this year's midterm election to publicly support him.

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock from Georgia rides an elevator as he leaves the Senate Chambers of the Capitol following a vote on amendments to Senate procedures on January 19

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had vowed to attempt to eliminate the filibuster entirely as the GOP uses it to block their legislative agenda – even though Democrats used the mechanism several times when they were in the minority in the Senate

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) elbow bumps a U.S. Capitol Police Officer as he arrives to the Senate Chambers for a procedural vote on ending the voting rights legislation debate process on January 19

'I've had five Republican senators talk to me, bump into me, or sit with me who have told me that they agree with whatever I'm talking about. 'But Joe, if I do it, I'm going to be defeated in a primary.' We have to break that. It's got to change,' Biden said.

He declined to name the Republican senators when asked. Republicans have been wary of former President Donald Trump and his supporters, who are looking to play an oversized role in the GOP primaries this year. Trump has publicly attacked Republican lawmakers who have publicly disagreed with him.

Biden marveled at the grip Trump still had on the party.

'Did you ever think that one men out of office could intimidate an entire party where they're unwilling to take any vote contrary to what he thinks should be taken for fear of being defeated in a primary?' he said.