Biden to deliver big voting rights speech next week in Philadelphia

• President Joe Biden will speak in Philadelphia on Tuesday about the actions his administration is taking to "protect the sacred constitutional right to vote."
• The speech comes amid a mostly Republican-led push in numerous states, including Georgia, Florida and Texas, to enact voting rules changes that critics call restrictive and discriminatory.
• The Department of Justice last month sued Georgia over its newly passed election law, alleging the changes violate federal voting protections for minorities.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House at a celebration of Independence Day in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2021.

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

President Joe Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday to deliver an address about the actions his administration is taking to "protect the sacred constitutional right to vote," a source familiar with the matter told NBC News on Friday.

The speech comes amid a mostly Republican-led push in numerous states, including Georgia, Florida and Texas, to enact voting rules changes that critics call restrictive and discriminatory.

The Department of Justice last month sued Georgia over its recently passed election law, alleging the changes violate federal voting protections for minorities.

The Biden administration has taken other steps in the fight over voting rights in the weeks leading up to the Philadelphia speech.

In a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, Biden said that voting rights are "under assault with an incredible intensity like I've never seen."

The president on Thursday met with leading civil rights groups on the issue. The same day, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Democratic National Committee would invest $25 million to expand its get-out-the-vote efforts for the upcoming midterm elections.