On Monday, President Joe Biden backtracked on his previously stated commitment to try and codify Roe v. Wade into federal law as his first piece of legislation following the midterm elections.
Biden stated that he doesn’t believe there’s enough votes to pass the law in the face of a House of Representatives that is likely to go Republican.
According to NBC News, Republicans will just manage to hold the majority in the House, with 219 members, while Democrats will have 216.
“I don’t think they can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions. I’m not going to get into more questions. I shouldn’t even have answered your question,” President Biden said.
“I don’t think there’s enough votes to codify, unless something happens unusual in the House. I think we’re going to get very close in the House. I think we’re going to be very close, but I don’t think we’re going to make it,” Biden continued.
Biden had already stated that if Democrats won control of the House and Senate, he would prioritize codifying the federal right to abortion into federal law.
In June, the Supreme Court overruled the long-standing Roe v. Wade, thus sending decisions about the legality of abortion to the states.
Biden has stated that Democrats require 53 votes in the Senate, but passing the Roe v. Wade codification through the Senate is doubtful because 60 votes are necessary to entirely avoid a Republican filibuster.
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