In a virtual meeting with 10 Democratic governors, President Joe Biden reiterated his support for removing the filibuster to codify abortion rights nationwide.

His hopes of codifying abortion rights, however, do not appear to be heading anywhere in 2022. Two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten
Sinema of Arizona, are both against removing the filibuster on such a vote.

“The filibuster should not stand in the way of us being able to do that. But right now we don't have the votes in the Senate,” he says.

Instead, Biden is looking to November and the midterm elections in hopes that Democrats can pick up additional seats. Even if Democrats gain seats in the Senate, keeping the House will be just as challenging.

Generally, the party that holds the White House struggles in midterm elections, and with inflation, that could make the task even taller.

Biden had hinted before Friday’s call that he would enact executive actions. But he did not unveil

“I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law,” he said. “And the way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that. And if the filibuster gets in the way -- it's like voting rights -- it should be we provide an exception for this, require an exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision.”

In most Republican-led states, abortions are in the process of being banned or extremely limited following last week’s ruling.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber will vote on a measure Friday that would codify abortion rights nationwide. The bill, however, will unlikely become law under the current Congress.

Another bill unlikely to get through the Senate will be one intended to stop states from penalizing women for crossing state borders to have an abortion.

If House Democrats use their slim majority to send the bills to the Senate, those bills would need 60 votes to break a Senate filibuster. While some have called on Democrats to abolish the filibuster, Sens. Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema both said they oppose such a measure.

“Women's health decisions are her own,” Pelosi said. “They don't belong to politicians in Washington, D. C. or in state capitols or in the Supreme Court of the United States. They belong to a woman, her family, her God, her doctor, her loved ones.”

The bills show that Democrats are eager to use the reversal of Roe v. Wade to their advantage heading into this November’s midterms.

“People don't like it when we say vote, vote in 100 days,” Pelosi said. “People will be voting less fewer than 100 days. People will be voting and we have to elect a couple more Senate Democratic senators so that we can get around the filibuster so that we can pass legislation that truly impacts a woman's right to choose. But there's not a halfway measure. Can't be a little bit pregnant in this. It has to be a real measure that protects a woman's right to choose.”