With the loss of the two GOP senate seats in Georgia, a lot is up in the air. Biden’s flurry of executive orders notwithstanding, will the Democrats be able to implement the more permanent aspects of their agenda? Court-packing? The Equality Act? Enshrining Roe in statute?
A lot of that rides on West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, a somewhat conservative senator who voted for Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation and has a largely pro-life record. Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List joined me on my podcast to explain what the pro-life movement will be focusing on next and how Manchin might vote, and if you’re interested in how the dynamics have shifted in Washington, I highly recommend giving it a listen (it’s only 30 minutes long.)
In the meantime, Denny Burk has a pessimistic analysis with some interesting updates:
There is a chance that the Biden administration will not be able to get “The Equality Act” passed in the first 100 days. In spite of the Democrats’ narrow Senate majority, there still may not be enough votes in support of the bill. Also, the Biden administration now has other items on the agenda for the first 100 days. As LGBTQ Nation reports:
Biden had previously said that he would sign the Equality Act into law in his first 100 days in office, but in a conference call with LGBTQ activists, his transition team said that that may be difficult in the face of the coronavirus vaccine rollout and the Senate’s impeachment trial for Donald Trump. Sources on the call tell LGBTQ Nation that Democrats don’t think they can advance the legislation in the Senate despite holding the majority.
Whether it happens in the first 100 days or after, make no mistake. The Biden administration is going to try and get this bill passed. I am not as dubious about its ability to pass in the Senate. If it makes it to the floor, I think it will likely pass with overwhelming Democratic support and probably some Republican support. We’ll see.
In the meantime, all of us who care about religious liberty need to understand what is at stake and be ready. Also, we need our elected representatives who care about religious liberty to hold the line for as long as possible. The longer like-minded lawmakers can delay “The Equality Act,” the better.
Read the whole thing. The Democrats know they could lose Congress in 2022, so they’ll be pushing to ensure this gets passed before then. And when that happens, all the battle-lines will be redrawn.
