This is HUGE

Over the weekend, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, one of the staunchest opponents of abolishing the filibuster, announced that he is now open to reforming the rule or returning to the "talking filibuster"—signaling a massive change in his stance and giving us a HUGE opportunity to make real progress in Congress!

Dear MoveOn member, 

Over the weekend, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, one of the staunchest opponents of abolishing the filibuster, announced that he is now open to reforming the rule or returning to the "talking filibuster"—signaling a massive change in his stance and giving us a HUGE opportunity to make real progress in Congress!¹

Why is this shift from Manchin so important?

Originally, filibustering a bill required a senator to physically stand on the floor of the Senate and speak for hours to try and run out the clock and prevent a vote on a bill unless at least 60 senators voted to override the filibuster and proceed to a vote on the legislation.² Because of the grueling nature of the process, filibusters were relatively rare, and many bills could still pass with a simple majority.³ That all changed in the 1970s, when the rules around using the filibuster were altered, allowing a senator to simply threaten to filibuster in order to stop any legislation without 60 votes in favor.⁴

That is why, even though Democrats hold the majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans are still able to stop nearly every piece of legislation from passing: They use the threat of a filibuster to hold hostage bills defending voting rights, advancing equality for LGBTQ+ people, and more.

Because of opposition by conservative Democrats like Manchin, Democrats did not have the votes needed to change the rules or abolish the filibuster, threatening to grind the Senate to a virtual halt after passage of the COVID relief bill. And that is why MoveOn members and our allies have been fighting so hard to get Manchin to change his stance and support reform or abolition of the filibuster.

And this weekend, we learned our grassroots pressure is working!

We can't let up now. We need to keep pushing Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and other senators still on the fence to support getting rid of the filibuster and opening the door for crucial legislation to move forward in the Senate without the obstruction of Republicans. Will you chip in $3 now to help us expand our pressure campaigns on these senators?

Over the past few weeks, MoveOn has launched ads in Manchin's home state of West Virginia as well as in Arizona, calling for Manchin and Sinema to stand up for their constituents and end the filibuster.

And just last month, Manchin was loudly repeating his view that the filibuster must remain intact, so clearly our pressure is working.

Here's the bottom line: Democrats have a very narrow window to pass bold, progressive legislation and we cannot let a single second go to waste.

Passing the For the People Act to protect voting rights and stop Republicans from using partisan gerrymandering to steal elections.

Expanding health care and creating a public option to ensure that everyone can access medical care without fear of astronomical medical bills.

Raising the minimum wage.

Codifying discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.

Passing gun control legislation.

Taxing the ultra-wealthy and ensuring they pay their fair share.

Addressing police violence and racial inequality.

We need to get all of this work done, and the only way we can do it is if we stop Mitch McConnell and the Republicans from using the filibuster as a weapon to stop progress.

Mar, we can't let this chance pass us by. Will you chip in $3 now to help us expand our fight to demand that Democrats get rid of the filibuster and get to work?

Thanks for all you do.

–Emma, Thad, Dan, Nita, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Joe Manchin opens the door to filibuster reform," Vox, March 7, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150286?t=4&akid=291925%2E10220574%2E4vTXg0

2. "About Filibusters and Cloture | Historical Overview," United States Senate, accessed March 9, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150287?t=6&akid=291925%2E10220574%2E4vTXg0

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

Want to support our work? With our nation ravaged by the pandemic and the cruelty and incompetence of the Trump administration, we need to take bold action to contain the spread of the virus, speed up the delivery of vaccines, and deliver real economic relief to families across the country. MoveOn is prepared to launch a massive, nationwide campaign to ensure Congress acts swiftly to deliver more emergency checks, extend unemployment benefits, ramp up our nation's vaccination program, and more. But we need your help.

Will you chip in to our campaign to ensure Congress acts boldly to overcome the pandemic and build back our economy?

Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.

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