Dear John,

I don't know about you, but I've had it up to here with Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

First, they say they don't want to support President Biden's Build Back Better plan because it's too expensive. Then they won't say what needs to be cut in order to get their support.

Maybe the real issue isn't what's in the bill at all, but their corporate campaign donors, who simply don't want to pay their fair share of taxes?

I, for one, think that it's time to stop asking nicely and start calling out Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for standing with drug companies, polluters, and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of their own constituents.

Inequality Media Civic Action is holding Senators Manchin and Sinema accountable for their corporate campaign contributions and personal conflicts of interest and calling them out through our millions of followers across social media.

But as a nonprofit organization, we don't take corporate money and heavily rely on donations from folks like you to continue spreading the truth. Can you make a donation, which will help fuel our efforts to push Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to stop blocking President Biden's Build Back Better bill?

Let's talk about Joe Manchin.

He says he won't support more than $1.5 trillion of spending for the Democrats' Build Back Better social and environmental package. This is less than half of what Democratic leaders have been trying to push through Congress, which itself is half the size of the package Biden originally promised.

That would almost surely mean deep cuts to some of the most important parts of the plan, like lowering prescription drug prices, paid family leave, universal pre-K, climate action, and expanding Medicare to cover vision, dental, and hearing. On a per-person basis, West Virginians would benefit more from the safety nets and public investments in this package than the residents of just about any other state.

So what gives? The question should be who gives. Follow the money. Manchin owns stock valued at between $1 million and $5 million in a coal firm he founded in 1988. He collects more campaign money from coal, oil, and gas companies than any other senator.

And let's also talk about Kyrsten Sinema. She comes from Arizona, a state that is trending blue and that Joe Biden won. So why is she such a problem?

Maybe it's that she's raking in the big bucks from corporate interests. A recent analysis found Sinema has already received nearly $1 million from the five industry groups leading the charge against the Build Back Better bill: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers, the biggest pharmaceutical lobby group, and the RATE Coalition, which lobbies against corporate taxes.

And the longer she holds up the bill, the more money she's raking in.

The American people desperately need the programs this bill would provide. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally deliver on the promises that Democrats have been making for years. And as an entire generation is on the brink of completely losing faith in our democracy, it could be our last chance to prove that it's still possible to radically transform our system for the better.

We can't let two senators in the pockets of corporate America stop this landmark package from passing.

Will you make a donation right now to get out the truth and help Inequality Media Civic Action stop Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema from blocking President Biden's Build Back Better plan and creating a fairer America?

Thank you for your support,

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action