We need to get rid of the filibuster. We need to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And then, to protect those critical pieces of legislation, we must add seats to the Supreme Court and cut off Roberts’s ability to destroy our democracy. Today’s decision only adds to the urgency for Congress to move quickly to rebalance the courts by moving quickly to pass the Judiciary Act of 2021, a bill that would restore balance and fairness in our judicial system by adding seats to the Supreme Court. Our democracy depends on it.
Now the real fight begins. This bill did not fail. It didn’t even receive a vote because Senate Republicans chose to hide behind the filibuster and block their colleagues from debating the subject of voting rights. Mitch McConnell led his caucus to embrace the legacy of Strom Thurmond and use Jim Crow-era tactics to block debate over desperately-needed reforms to protect voting rights and return power to the people. The question now is whether congressional Democrats and President Biden join forces in order to repel the attacks on our democracy.
Indivisible, Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, Stand Up America, End Citizens United Action Fund, Common Cause, Fix Our Senate, Advancement Project, Transformative Justice Coalition, Just Democracy, and over 70 other organizations are launching Deadline For Democracy, a cross-movement mobilization plan for the July Recess demanding lawmakers act urgently to defend democracy and pass the For the People Act by August.
Following the Senate Republicans filibuster of legislation to create a bipartisan commission investigating the January 6 insurrection, Indivisible, Fix Our Senate, and 56 other organizations representing millions of people across the country released the following statement calling on Senate Democrats to finally eliminate the filibuster.
This bill was not drafted in a vacuum. It is a direct response to the radical maneuvers undertaken by Trump and McConnell over the last four years to transform the court from an apolitical institution to an arm of the Republican party.
To put it simply: Governor Kemp and his fellow Republicans in the state legislature’s decision to rush S.B. 202 last night was racially motivated and an act of cowardice after the record-high turnout of Black, brown, and democratic voters in 2020.
Following the release of its second grassroots activist guide, Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Fixing our Democracy, which highlighted democracy reform as top priority for the organization, Indivisible announced the launch of its For The People Project, a campaign to push key senators and members of Congress forward on critical reforms: D.C. statehood; H.R. 1, the For The People Act; H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act; and, elimination of the filibuster.
Bravo to the House Democrats who unified to pass the For the People Act. We celebrate this bold legislation to foster a real democracy. We look forward to similar swift action from the House for D.C. statehood and the John Lewis Voting Right Act.
The introduction of S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, reflects the growing support across the country to end the disenfranchisement of the district's 700,000 residents. In addition to being a critical democracy reform, D.C. statehood is also a racial justice issue. Historically, conservative politicians have prevented D.C. from becoming a state to prevent D.C.’s black residents from building or wielding their political power. It’s past time to give district residents a voice in Congress and the power to govern its own affairs.
While Indivisibles across the country are contacting their senators and demanding they move quickly to eliminate the filibuster, local Indivisibles in the critical states New York and Illinois are flooding the phones and social media of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Majority Whip Dick Durbin with the message: #BeBold and #EndTheFilibuster Now.