In the midst of a pandemic and the economic devastation it has wrought, Congress is considering President Biden's American Rescue Plan. I don't have to tell you, just how critical it is to vaccinate everyone, re-open schools safely, raise the minimum wage, boost unemployment benefits, and provide financial support to families and small businesses.

The American Rescue Plan is a very big solution to a very big problem.

And when it comes to the Senate floor, we'll be able to pass it by getting a simple majority or 51 votes or more. Why is that? Because the filibuster doesn't apply to the once-a-year "budget reconciliation" bill.

How does that make any sense?

A majority absolutely should be able to pass legislation that is critical to families' and small businesses' ability to get through a crisis. But why only this one bill?

Big problems demand big solutions, and it simply cannot be that we can only tackle those big problems once a year and only through the budget process.

In addition to the pandemic:

We are in a climate crisis, with devastating wildfires, hurricanes, and deep freezes with alarming regularity.

We have a racial justice crisis, with centuries of systemic racism brought into sharp relief by a president who elevated white supremacy.

We have a democracy crisis, with attacks being made on our Constitutional right to vote amidst deepening corruption by the richest and most powerful special interests.

we cannot allow Mitch McConnell to have a veto over our efforts to solve America's problems. We must take on the filibuster. It's not enough to do big things once a year through an arcane budget process.

In a democracy, the most votes should win -- even on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Onward.

Jeff

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Paid for by Jeff Merkley for Oregon.