(Fwrd Axis) — Despite the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, President Joe Biden “does not agree with” expanding the Supreme Court, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Saturday.
“I was asked this question yesterday, and I’ve been asked it before… about expanding the Court. That is something that the President does not agree with. That is not something he wants to do,” Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Germany.
Instead, Jean-Pierre said the Supreme Court was ‘out of touch’ with the majority of Americans who wanted Roe v. Wade to remain intact as it had been for over 50 years.
“It’s so out of step not only with this decision, but it’s also so out of step with the Constitution,” she said.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, 22 states have either banned or made it nearly impossible to obtain an abortion.
Democrats quickly called for an expansion of the Court, calling on the President to endorse legislation that would add more judges to the court, breaking its current conservative majority. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) all called for an expansion of the Court on Saturday.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) published an op-ed in the New York Times on Saturday, calling on Biden to declare a public health emergency.
“The declaration would protect abortion access for all Americans, unlocking critical resources and authority that states and the federal government can use to meet the surge in demand for reproductive health services,” the senators wrote.
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Friday after the ruling that an expansion is “critical”.
“We need to balance out this court before they do more harm than what they’ve done thus far,” Adams said at a press conference on Friday.
Democrats have also urged filibuster reform but that measure is also likely to fail given Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have both repeatedly said they are against changing the rule.
Jean-Pierre said Saturday that Biden would “continue to look at solutions” on abortion rights.
