WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), along with Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06), and nearly 100 House Democrats sent a letter urging Senate Democrats to end the filibuster so that Congress can deliver on legislation promised to and supported by a majority of Americans.
In their letter, the Members demonstrated the need to put people over procedure in order to move forward with legislation to protect voting rights, establish a $15 minimum wage, prevent gun violence, reform our country’s immigration system, achieve climate and environmental justice, protect workers, begin to transform our criminal-legal system, and so many more urgent, life-saving policy priorities.
“This is an existential moment for our country,” the Members wrote. “We must end the gridlock that has become common practice in Washington and govern boldly and transformatively to improve the lives of millions of people, children, and families all across the country. For too many people in our communities, their very survival is at stake. Republicans are well aware of this reality. It is why they are passing legislation at the state level across the country in an attempt to suppress the votes of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. It is also why they are preventing the Senate from advancing critical legislation that can meet the needs of the people we represent.”
“This is not the first time many in Congress have called for the elimination of the filibuster. Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle have tried and failed to remove the filibuster. The filibuster has been a key tool in preventing progress towards racial justice. It is a relic of Jim Crow-era policies that continue to preclude our nation’s efforts to fulfill a foundational promise laid out in the constitution to “establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” From voting rights to gun violence prevention, the filibuster continues to deny justice and racial equity to communities of color and blocks meaningful legislation from moving forward,” the Members continued.
“We urge Senate Democrats to do what it takes to pass an agenda that meets the needs of everyday people, including eliminating the filibuster. We understand the balance of power and share a desire to maintain a healthy political environment through bipartisanship. However, what has become patently clear is that we cannot let a procedural tool that can be abolished stand in the way of justice, prosperity, and equity. We simply cannot afford such a catastrophic compromise. We must legislate towards a better, more just America━and that requires us to do what’s necessary to deliver for the communities that we all represent.”
The following Members of Congress signed onto the letter: Cori Bush (MO-01), Jason Crow (CO-06), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Karen Bass (CA-37), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), Andrè Carson (IN-07), David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Judy Chu (CA-27), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Peter A. DeFazio (OR-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Debbie Dinegll (MI-12), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Lois Frankel (FL-21), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), John Garamendi (CA-03), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Kaiali'i Kahele (HI-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Andy Levin (MI-09), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), A. Donald McEachin (VA-04), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Grace Meng (NY-06), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Marie Newman (IL-03), Michael F.Q. San Nicolas (Guam), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Katie Porter (CA-45), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Bobby Rush (IL-01), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), Debbie Wasserman Shultz (FL-23), Brad Sherman (CA-30), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Mark Takano (CA-41), Mike Thompson (CA-05), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Peter Welch (VT), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).
More than 20 grassroots organizations joined the coalition of House Democrats and endorsed the letter, calling on the Senate to end the filibuster and deliver the bold, progressive legislation the American people want and need.
“The filibuster is a racist remnant of a Senate designed to entrench white minority rule at the expense of the multiracial majority,” said Demos Senior Policy Analyst Laura Williamson. “Black and Brown Americans in particular have born the brunt of the filibuster, historically and today. From blocking anti-lynching and anti-poll tax legislation during Jim Crow to thwarting today’s efforts at gun violence prevention, raising the minimum wage, and passing structural democracy reform, the filibuster remains a linchpin of the minority obstructionism that is blocking progress on racial justice and every other pressing issue of our time."
"Filibuster reform is critical for advancing racial justice,” said Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Democracy and Criminal Justice for Color of Change. “Throughout its history, Senators have used the filibuster to block important Civil Rights protections for Black Americans. Democratic Senators who defend the filibuster are protecting a legacy of racism, and are choosing to let an outdated rule block progress that would begin to address the challenges facing Black communities across the country.”
For a PDF of the letter, please click here.
The full text of the letter can also be found below:
Dear Majority Leader Schumer,
We write today regarding the filibuster and the ability of the 117th Congress to deliver on an agenda that centers on the needs of everyday people across America. Despite the extraordinary devastating pandemic and unprecedented economic pain, millions turned out to deliver control of the federal government to Democrats with the expectation that we will enact legislation that will have a meaningful impact on the lives of our community members. Democrats now control the House, Senate, and White House because of the courage, fierce organizing, and hope of millions of Americans. It is our duty to deliver on our promises to pass bold legislation and do what is necessary to advance our fight for justice and economic prosperity.
In today’s hyper-partisan climate, there is simply no avenue for bold legislation that meets the needs of everyday Americans without ending the filibuster. Just last month, we witnessed one of this Congress and President Biden’s core promises, increasing the federal minimum wage to $15, fail to be included in the American Rescue Plan ─ a $1.9 trillion package that is necessary for combatting the health and economic crises borne out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite strong outreach to our Republican colleagues, the American Rescue Plan was passed with not a single Republican voting in favor of the legislation. A majority of Americans agree that passing this relief package is a necessity, therefore, the Senate Democrats and the Biden administration were committed to delivering a comprehensive relief package to the American people. Yet, in order to advance this critical legislation, they were left with no choice but to rely on the reconciliation process to bypass the filibuster and the need for 60 votes. Our efforts to enact a bold agenda should not be stalled by Republican obstruction. The path forward in the fight for $15, voting rights, climate and environmental justice, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, worker protections, LGBTQ equality, and reforming our criminal-legal system will likely be further obstructed ━ unless we end the filibuster.
This is an existential moment for our country. We must end the gridlock that has become common practice in Washington and govern boldly and transformatively to improve the lives of millions of people, children, and families all across the country. For too many people in our communities, their very survival is at stake. Republicans are well aware that removing barriers to passing legislation will have a transformational impact on these communities. It is why they are passing legislation at the state level across the country in an attempt to suppress the votes of Black, brown, and Indigenous people. It is also why they are preventing the Senate from advancing critical legislation that can meet the needs of the people we represent.
This is not the first time many in Congress have called for the elimination of the filibuster. Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle have tried and failed to remove the filibuster. The filibuster has been a key tool in preventing progress towards racial justice. It is a relic of Jim Crow-era policies that continue to preclude our nation’s efforts to fulfill a foundational promise laid out in the constitution to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” From voting rights to gun violence prevention, the filibuster continues to deny justice and racial equity to communities of color and blocks meaningful legislation from moving forward.
We urge Senate Democrats to do what it takes to pass an agenda that meets the needs of everyday people, including eliminating the filibuster. We understand the balance of power and share a desire to maintain a healthy political environment through bipartisanship. However, what has become patently clear is that we cannot let a procedural tool that can be abolished stand in the way of justice, prosperity, and equity. We simply cannot afford such a catastrophic compromise. We must legislate towards a better, more just America━and that requires us to do what’s necessary to deliver for the communities that we all represent.
Thank you for your leadership during this critical moment for our country and for our world, and we look forward to continued partnership in our work for the people.
