Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Senate Republicans exploited the filibuster to delay the For The People Act. The For The People Act, which is supported by 83% of Americans nationwide and already passed the House, includes a comprehensive, common sense democracy reforms, including automatic voter registration, stronger rules around ethics and campaign finance, restored voting rights for 1.7 million formerly incarcerated people, a ban on partisan gerrymandering, and more. To date, 48 states have introduced nearly 390 bills restricting access to the polls, and the For The People Act would halt many of these voter suppression bills.
During the Jim Crow era, the filibuster was used as a tool to block civil rights legislation, including widely-supported bills to ban poll taxes, end lynching, and advance the rights of Black Americans. Since that time, the filibuster has been repeatedly used by a minority in the Senate to block progress on climate action, gun control, and more.The Sierra Club called for the elimination of the filibuster last month.
In response, Courtney Hight, the Sierra Club Democracy Program Director, issued the following statement:
“Time and again, Senate Republicans continue to rely on an arcane, racist rule to block progress and deny Americans’ their civil rights. Every person in this country -- no matter their skin color, their zip code, or their political affiliation -- has the right to drink clean water, to breathe clean air, and to be free to exercise their democratic rights. For generations, the Jim Crow filibuster has been exploited to block this progress. Enough is enough.
“Despite today’s outcome, we are not done. We know that our civil rights, our health, our jobs and our environment depend on the health of our democracy. We have remained resilient through everything that’s been done to divide, derail and dishonor our most basic rights, and together, the Sierra Club will continue to fight with our allies until the promise of liberty and justice for all is delivered.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.