Schumer: ‘We made progress’ on voting bill, filibuster rules

By LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats “made progress” toward changing the Senate’s filibuster rules to advance voting legislation, despite the dramatic collapse of the package that his party says is central to protecting democracy. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, the top Democrat in the Senate took stock of what was widely seen as a striking setback. Schumer defended his decision to press ahead, even though two Democratic senators refused to change Senate rules to allow it to pass by a simple majority. He said he doesn’t expect the filibuster to go away any time soon for most legislation. But on the voting package support has grown for adjusting the Senate filibuster rules.