Sunday shows – Voting rights, infrastructure in the spotlight
by The Hill staff
Voting rights and infrastructure dominated the Sunday morning political shows, with multiple guests weighing in on both topics.
Republican lawmakers criticized a sweeping, Democratic-backed election reform bill while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he and President Biden are focused on working families in negotiations for a massive infrastructure package.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Sunday that a sweeping, Democratic-backed election reform bill was “the biggest power grab in the history of the country.”
“In my view, SR-1 is the biggest power grab in the history of the country. It mandates ballot harvesting, no voter ID. It does away with the states being able to redistrict when you have population shifts. It’s just a bad idea, and it’s a problem that most Republicans are not going to sign – they’re trying to fix a problem most Republicans have a different view of,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he believed lawmakers are becoming “bogged down in numbers” and said it is more important for them to look at the “needs of the American people, what’s going on right now.”
“I would just say to President Biden, you’ve got a party that’s divided. You’ve got a Republican Party that’s willing to meet you in the middle for a trillion dollars of infrastructure that could fundamentally change the way America does business in roads, ports, and bridges and accelerate electrical vehicles. You’ve got to decide what kind of president you are and what kind of presidency you want,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said.
“Well, in terms of the symbolism of having a sit-down with the American president, absolutely, that is a very important win for Putin,” former National Security Council official Fiona Hill said. “It’s not a win if nothing happens out of it.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on Sunday that “not much was accomplished but no damage was done” during President Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The outcome was predetermined, but what struck me was the fact that this was I think the lowest turnout in an Iranian presidential election, perhaps in history,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on CBS’s ‘“Face the Nation.” “Iranians voted with their feet by not showing up at the polls. And millions who did show up at the polls cast white ballots – that is they didn’t check off a candidate for president.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday there remains a “fair distance to travel” when it comes to efforts to renegotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran, but added the Biden administration plans to keep its “eye on the ball” following the recent presidential election in the Middle East nation.
“We are not at this point going to issue threats or ultimatums. What we’re going to do is continue to rally support in the international community. And if it turns out that China refuses to live up to its international obligations, we will have to consider our responses at that point,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.