'Public deserves to see' who opposes voting rights bills -Schumer

Schumer noted that on the heels of what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 93rd birthday, "the Senate has begun the debate on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act for the first time - the first time - in this Congress. Democrats have tried for months to hold a voting rights debate on the floor, but we have been blocked each time by Republicans."

Schumer added that although the chances of the legislation passing are slim, given united opposition from Republicans, when it comes to an issue "so vital to the future of our democracy, you don't slide it off the table and say, 'never mind.'"