Dear MoveOn member,
"Rules change."
With these two simple words in Atlanta yesterday, President Biden declared it time to change the filibuster (a "rule" set by the Senate) so that Republicans cannot use it to block laws that federally protect the right to vote.1
We've been pressuring Biden and Senate Democrats for months to eliminate the filibuster. And while Biden's support could be a game changer, speeches alone won't protect the right to vote. We need to leverage this landmark speech into action.
Senate Democrats need to build off the momentum of this message as they prepare for a critical vote on voting rights this week, in advance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That's why this is an essential moment to say we want Senate Democrats to join with President Biden and reform the filibuster so Republicans can't obstruct action on voting rights.
Yesterday, I joined the King family in Atlanta to hear President Biden address the crisis facing voting rights—including the attacks against voters in state after state with Republican legislatures. While Congress could confront these attacks and secure voting rights for millions of Americans, Republicans under the leadership of Mitch McConnell are abusing the filibuster to make sure the Senate can't even debate—much less vote on—legislation that has already passed the House of Representatives.
I knew this would be an important speech—but I'll admit I was impressed to hear President Biden, long a defender of Senate tradition, finally recognize that we have to make a choice between protecting voters and protecting the filibuster.
Senate Democrats have near universal support for ending the current filibuster, which has been changed many times in Senate history. In the past few years, Republicans changed voting rules around Supreme Court nominees.2 And just recently, senators on both sides of the aisle voted for changes on a debt limit vote. But they still need to get support from two holdout senators to agree to the changes. That's why Biden's support right now is so important. Showing that defending democracy is a priority for his administration can hopefully help move the two Democrats who aren't yet fully supportive, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
We know that speeches are not enough; we need real action and policy changes. MoveOn has partnered with Martin Luther King III to call for action to honor his father's legacy, and over 50,000 MoveOn members have signed his petition. Add your name today to demand action.
It's time for Democrats to deliver for voting rights.
Thanks for all you do.
–Rahna Epting
Sources:
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