We could have these progressive priorities, but Joe Manchin is standing in our way.

Dear Friend,

Congress is in the middle of debating a budget bill that would defeat Mitch McConnell’s stranglehold on Congress and accomplish real progressive priorities.

But Senator Joe Manchin is threatening to tank the entire thing.

Not only does the $3.5 trillion budget bill include Medicare expansion, paid family leave, and investment in green energy, it also pays for the package by implementing a wealth tax and making corporations pay their fair share.1,2

Manchin, however, wants to bow to corporate interests by taking the bill off the table entirely in favor of a much smaller budget resolution that wouldn’t include most of those pressing concerns.3 And because of the razor-thin majority in the Senate, Manchin alone could put a halt to this bold plan. We have just a few weeks to rally an outpouring of grassroots support so that Sen. Manchin doesn’t obstruct the key priorities that Americans desperately need.

Will you chip in $10 to Demand Progress and help support progressive programs like Medicare and climate action?

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Not long ago, Mitch McConnell said he is “100% focused on stopping" President Biden and the Democrats' agenda.4 He has forced the slavery-era filibuster on every progressive priority bill, from voting rights to gun safety, shutting them all down.

And as long as the filibuster remains in place, the only recourse that progressives have is the budget reconciliation process. Federal funding runs out at the end of September, meaning Congress must pass a budget or the government will shut down.

This is our best opportunity in months to achieve progressive reform. Here are just a few of the provisions in the bill:

  • Universal pre-K and a childcare benefit for working families
  • Tuition-free community college
  • Paid and medical leave for 12 weeks
  • Dental, vision, and hearing benefits in Medicare
  • Consumer rebates for green energy and tax incentives for green transportation
  • Affordable housing and a public land conservation work program

But Manchin appears determined to stop this—unless we can rally support against his obstruction.

We are reminding everyone in Congress that they cannot let a single senator undermine their responsibility for making their constituents’ lives better. It’s time to speak out more loudly than the corporate donors who are giving big to Manchin.5 Demand Progress members have sent tens of thousands of messages in support of Medicare expansion and the other progressive elements of the budget plan. But time is running out, as the key negotiations are now underway. Will you donate to help pass the transformative goals in the $3.5 trillion budget bill?

Yes, I’ll donate to Demand Progress today.

Thanks for standing with us.

Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress

PS: Your contributions are what keep us nimble and prepared to take on important fights like these as they happen. Will you become a monthly donor to keep our work going?

Sources:

1. CNN, "What's in the Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan," September 8, 2021
2. AP News, "Democrats seek corporate, wealthy tax hikes for $3.5T plan," September 13, 2021
3. Ibid.
4. The Washington Post, "Biden dismisses McConnell’s pledge that he’s ‘100 percent’ focused on stopping the administration," May 5, 2021
5. OpenSecrets, "Joe Manchin," accessed September 16, 2021

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