Free Speech For People


John,

As the new administration and the 117th Congress seek to address the multiple crises facing our nation, it is clear that we need widespread reform. *But for us to quickly address the issues facing this country, we must eliminate one of the greatest roadblocks to legislation: the Senate filibuster.*

For too long, the filibuster has been abused in the Senate to block overwhelmingly popular legislation and to stifle the will of the voters. This undemocratic rule gives a minority of senators total power over which bills Congress can pass. In his eulogy at the funeral service last July for the legendary civil rights leader, Congressman John Lewis, former President Barack Obama called the filibuster a "Jim Crow relic." [ [link removed] ]

And, it is. As author David Litt writes [ [link removed] ], the filibuster "is a direct legacy of segregation, and it remains a tool for maintaining systemic racism. In this moment of long-overdue reckoning, it's time for the filibuster to go."

*Sign the petition: Demand an end to the Senate filibuster.* [ [link removed] ]

As utilized, the filibuster requires 60 senators to vote to start and end debate on most bills -- so unless the majority party has secured 60 votes in favor of a bill, a minority of senators can effectively, and sometimes secretly, kill it. In practice, this has meant that a small group of senators -- who represent a disproportionately white minority of the country's population -- can shut down legislation on anything from voting rights and racial justice to climate change and healthcare.

If we want the Senate to better represent us -- and actually act in the interest of the American people, not just the powerful few -- we must immediately eliminate the filibuster.

*Add your name: It's time to eliminate the anti-democratic Senate filibuster.* [ [link removed] ]

In solidarity,
Free Speech For People


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