President Biden on Tuesday is expected to throw his support behind changing the Senate's filibuster rules in an effort to pass voting rights legislation, according to a White House official.
Driving the news: In a major speech at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Biden plans to say that the "next few days, when these bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation."
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"Will we choose democracy over autocracy, light over shadow, justice over injustice? I know where I stand. I will not yield. I will not flinch. I will defend your right to vote and our democracy against all enemies foreign and domestic. And so the question is where will the institution of United States Senate stand?" he's expected to add.
The big picture: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week that the Senate will vote on rules changes to the filibuster by Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 17.
And top Democrats, including Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, called for expanding voting rights on the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Some civil rights activists will skip the speech, saying that they're more interested in legislation than political rhetoric, Axios' Alexi McCammond reports.
Yes, but: Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) remain big obstacles to lowering the 60-vote threshold.
