Senate passage was the latest evidence that Democrats, fresh off a string of legislative failures on their broader domestic agenda, are focusing on narrower measures with bipartisan support.
From left, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson and Senator Chuck Schumer. Ms. Carlson’s lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the former chairman of Fox News, brought public attention to the issue of forced arbitration.Credit…Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times
At the news conference, Mr. Graham and Mr. Schumer congratulated a tearful Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News anchor whose lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the former chairman of Fox News, brought public attention to the issue of forced arbitration.
“You started it,” Mr. Schumer told her. “You had courage.”
Some Republicans were opposed to the bill, arguing that the federal government had no place reaching into employment contracts and invalidating them. But the legislation generated such broad support that none of them insisted on officially registering their objections, allowing the legislation to pass without a recorded vote.
Such an outcome is a rarity in today’s Senate, where the two parties have sparred bitterly over policy and Republicans have wielded the filibuster to block much of Mr. Biden’s agenda.
The flurry of legislative activity this week follows a torturous few months on Capitol Hill for the president and his party. Democrats saw their push for voting rights legislation stymied by a Republican blockade, and they failed to reach consensus in their own ranks to push through a $2.2 trillion social safety net and climate change package over unified Republican opposition.
Source: nytimes.com
