Biden slams Senate Republicans for standing 'in the way of Americans' rights' after the GOP blocked a bill codifying Roe v. Wade

• Biden slammed Senate Republicans for blocking Democrats' efforts to pass federal abortion rights.
• Left unsaid was that Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, joined Republicans in their efforts.

President Joe Biden teed off on Senate Republicans on Wednesday after the GOP unanimously blocked an effort to move forward on enshrining federal abortion rights into law.

"Republicans in Congress – not one of whom voted for this bill – have chosen to stand in the way of Americans' rights to make the most personal decisions about their own bodies, families, and lives," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Biden added that the failed vote comes "at a time when women's constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack," a not so subtle reference to a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would gut federal abortion rights by overturning the court's landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.

Left unsaid in Biden's statement is that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a fellow Democrat, joined the Republicans in blocking Democrats from moving forward on the "Women's Health Protection Act."

Wednesday's vote was largely a symbolic one, as it had been apparent for days that Democrats would fall far short of the 60 votes that required to pass their bill. The final vote was 49-51.

Manchin told reporters earlier in the day that he supports the underlying idea of codifying Roe v. Wade into law, but he argued that Democrats' current bill goes too far.

"It's just disappointing that we're going to be voting on a piece of legislation which I would not vote for today," Manchin told reporters. "But I would vote for Roe v. Wade codification if it was today."

Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who support some abortion rights, have also argued that Democrats' current bill is too broad in the circumstances under which abortions would be allowed. Both senators have raised concerns that the Women's Health Protection Act would not protect physicians who have religious objections to performing abortions.

Collins told reporters on Wednesday that she was in discussions with Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia "to come up with a more focused bill" that would ensure there was "no change in a women's right to choose" if the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

"The Democrats' proposal is a messaging bill, they've greatly overreached," Collins said.

Vice President Kamala Harris also slammed the Senate's failure to address the issue. She implored Americans to elect more pro-abortion rights candidates, a tacit acknowledgment that Democrats' efforts are likely to go nowhere. Passing any federal abortion rights into law would almost certainly require the Senate to weaken or abolish its legislative filibuster given Republicans' near-complete opposition to such a proposal.

"This vote clearly says that the Senate is not where the majority of Americans are in this nation," Harris told reporters. "It also makes clear that a priority for all who care about this issue, the priority should be to elect pro-choice leaders at the local, state, and federal level."