Dear MoveOn member,
Something powerful and unprecedented is happening in D.C.—and MoveOn members have been central to it.
Progressives in Congress showed their strength and a unified front in demanding Congress move forward with President Biden's sweeping Build Back Better Agenda on climate, care, citizenship, the social safety net, and more, at the same time as a narrower bipartisan bill on infrastructure. By refusing to give in to the demands of a few corporate Democratic holdouts in the House and Senate, these brave progressives held the line, which will give us a chance to pass the entirety of President Biden's essential and transformative plan.
MoveOn members demanded that progressives "Hold the Line"—and they did! Too many times over the years, we've seen progressive priorities bulldozed by overly cautious and corporate colleagues. But now, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, under the leadership of Representative Pramila Jayapal, has shown that progressives can show political force—and in doing so can give a boost to Biden's agenda. And it wouldn't have happened without MoveOn members showing up to have their backs.
It's not easy to stand up to Big Money, to take heat from mainstream media, or to say no to the pressure to vote first on a bipartisan bill. But MoveOn members—and allies across the movement—supported progressives by communicating just how important it is for our communities that the massive investments in our future in the Build Back Better Agenda become a reality. A reality where we combat the effects of climate change, provide massive child care savings, expand access to education from pre-k through college, build more affordable housing, and address generations of systemic inequality.
MoveOn members have been driving thousands of calls to Democrats in the House and Senate—to fortify progressives and push corporate Democrats to act. MoveOn members have funded advertisements and banners. And MoveOn has joined with allies, including the Working Families Party and the Sunrise Movement, for a week of "Hold the Line" events in Washington, D.C.—bird-dogging conservative Democrats on foot and by boat (truly!), hosting a live band to create a festive environment on Capitol Hill, and turning out every day to give progressives the encouragement they needed. These efforts were covered on television and in national newspapers, and the phrase "hold the line" became a refrain used even by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer himself.
These tactics worked! Progressives held the line—and Speaker Pelosi postponed the vote on the bipartisan bill, while President Biden is taking the opportunity to negotiate a path forward on Build Back Better. Just yesterday, after meeting with Congress, Biden reiterated our position, stating plainly that infrastructure “ain’t going to happen until we reach an agreement on the next piece of legislation.”1
This fight isn't over. We still need an agreement and the votes. But what we saw these past few days was hopeful. Progressives have power and were willing to use it, and we'll keep working to strengthen the progressive members of Congress in the tough fights ahead.
Please share this message of support!
Together, we will Hold the Line.
That's the only way we can Build Back Better.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Chloe, Justin, Jaira, and the rest of the team
P.S. Here's Rahna Epting, MoveOn's executive director, at one of the Hold the Line actions.
Source:
1. Tweet from Jake Sherman, October 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159032?t=17&akid=307539%2E40999114%2EVO2LX3
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