Romney: I never got a call from White House to discuss voting rights

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) said on Sunday that the Biden administration has not reached out to him to discuss voting rights legislation as the White House works to pass two key Democratic-backed bills.

Host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” questioned Romney on attempts to unify the country, noting that only a few Republicans appear willing to work with the Biden administration, with Romney among them.

“Well, actually, there are a lot more than a handful that are willing to work with the president. We’re willing to work on issues that we care very deeply about,” Romney said. “We care about education. We care about health care. We obviously care about infrastructure. There’s a lot that we can do together.”

“But the idea of saying blow up bipartisanship and just let [whoever’s] got the slight majority to do whatever they want, that’s not the right way to get things done in America, and it’s not the way to unite America,” he added.

Todd also asked Romney if he would be willing to work with the White House on voting legislation if it were to reach out to him.

“Yes, and, Chuck, I already am. The group, about 12 senators, Republicans and Democrats, that are working on the Electoral Count Act, we’ll continue to work together. Sadly, this election reform bill that the president has been pushing, I never got a call on that from the White House,” Romney said.

“There was no negotiation, bringing in Republicans and Democrats together to try and come up with something that would meet bipartisan interests,” he added.

With the Build Back Better Act stalled in the Senate, the Biden administration has shifted its focus to passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to push back against GOP-backed state laws that critics have argued limit certain groups’ abilities to vote.

Last week, the House passed a voting rights package that included provisions from the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the Senate will vote on the package on Tuesday.