But after an overnight government shutdown because of the filibuster, the bill eventually passed in both chambers and the president signed it on Friday morning.
But Republicans' hardball tactics were fueling a drive by the party's left flank to seriously consider if they take power eliminating the last remaining vestige of minority rights in the Senate, the legislative filibuster.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, said after the filibuster was evaded that he wanted the infrastructure bill and a budget resolution to pass before the August recess.
And for the first time, the president also voiced support for changing the Senate's filibuster rule to require lawmakers to talk on the floor if they want to hold up a bill.
A variety of polls show many Americans broadly support the ideas in the voting rights legislation, but are divided along partisan lines when it comes to ending the filibuster.
Biden said if no breakthrough on legislation can be achieved, lawmakers in the Senate should, quote, " change the rules including getting rid of the filibuster for this" .
And unlike the budget bill, voting rights is the kind of legislation where they need to get past a filibuster, meaning they need 10 Republicans to do anything.