Vice President Kamala Harris issued a dire warning to Americans: If voting rights legislation isn’t passed, the U.S. will lose its position as a role model for the world.    

In an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Harris said democracy would be at risk and the other countries are looking at the U.S. “because we have held ourselves out to be a model of … the ability of a democracy to coexist with an economic strength and power.”   

“Right now, we’re about to take ourselves off the map as a role model if we let people destroy one of the most important pillars of a democracy, which is free and fair elections,” she said.  

The push for voting rights has hit a roadblock in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have blocked efforts to pass bills that would expand voting rights for Americans, particularly for Black and Brown people.  

In October, Senate Republicans voted in unison to block the Freedom to Vote Act, which would improve voting rights and fix the country’s election system, BNC reported.  

Last month, Senate Republicans also blocked the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Named after the late civil rights icon and congressman who died last year, the bill would require jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to get prior approval from the Department of Justice or federal courts in D.C. before changing their voting rules, according to BNC.  

It also seeks to strengthen protections against unjust election practices limited by the Supreme Court.  

The Biden administration has placed Harris as the lead on getting voting rights legislation passed.  

“Right now, we’re about to take ourselves off the map as a role model if we let people destroy one of the most important pillars of a democracy, which is free and fair elections,” she said on Sunday.