WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — President Joe Biden met with civil rights groups at the White House Thursday as they pushed the president to do more to protect minority voters from what they call restrictive voting rules in some states.

“This is the fight of our lifetime,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “Your voice matters, and we are going to fight to make sure that all the people’s voices are heard.”

Democrats are vowing to protect voting rights. Harris said Democrats are making a $25 million investment to fight voter suppression efforts across the country.

Seventeen states have already passed new voting laws that Democrats say disproportionality impact black and brown voters.

“This all is designed, I believe, to make it harder for you to vote so that you don’t vote,” the vice president said.

Texas took another shot at enacting its own voting laws this week after state Democrats blocked the first attempt back in May.

“Ready to fight against these bad policies for as long as it takes,” Texas Democrats said Thursday.

Just last week, the Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s restrictive voting laws, re-igniting the fight for voting rights legislation in Congress.

“The For the People Act is really the For the Politicians Act,” Rep. Fred Keller said.

The Pennsylvania Republican said the Democrats’ reform bill would create a one size fits all approach to voting.

“I think that’s a state’s issue and we should not be nationalizing elections here in DC,” Keller added.

Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty from Ohio said Republicans are against the idea, “because we’re making too much progress.”

The Chair of the Democratic Black Caucus is urging the Senate to pass both the For the People act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, now.

“Here’s the thing we have, the people are on our side,” Beatty said Thursday.

The Senate could take up the issue again when they come back next week.