By Kait Krolik, Toiyabe Chapter Lead Organizer
Sierra Club’s goal to see Congress pass strong climate action faced a hurdle two weeks ago when it seemed Speaker Pelosi was going to call a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill before the Build Back Better Act. Progressives successfully withheld support for the infrastructure package until Congress first passes the Build Back Better Act, which would advance a bold climate, jobs and justice platform. Fortunately, thanks to all the work that has gone into electing progressives to Congress and the wave of advocacy and activism from Sierra Club and our movement allies, our progressive champions in Congress held the line to fend off that vote.
After it became clear that progressive Democrats were holding firm, President Biden announced his support for our shared strategy and House leaders decided to delay a vote on the inadequate bipartisan infrastructure bill that would have put the fate of Build Back Better in jeopardy. This delay was a major win for climate action, for unionized clean energy jobs, for justice, for building back better. As long as key House Democrats, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus, hold firm, the bipartisan bill won’t have a path forward in the House until AFTER Congress passes the Build Back Better Act. This helps us maintain leverage to win historic investments for our communities. Thanks to that leverage, we’re now approaching the stage of actual negotiations between Democratic leadership, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Senators Sinema and Manchin on the overall size and scope of Build Back Better. While we don’t have an exact timeline, we hope to see it passed by the end of October. We must keep up the pressure to deliver this once-in-a-generation win.
With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, soon we will be celebrating the passage of Build Back Better and the bipartisan infrastructure bill. To secure these victories, call your representatives. Urge them to hold the line and pass ambitious climate relief for your community.
Mark Amodei, CD 2: (775) 686-5760
Susie Lee, CD 3: (702) 963-9336
Steven Horsford, CD 4: (702) 963-9360
And while you’re at it, ask your family and friends in West Virginia and Arizona to call their senators to urge them to pass ambitious climate relief:
Joe Manchin, WV: (202) 224-3954
Kyrsten Sinema, AZ: (202) 224-4521
Read more here about Sierra Club’s federal work to deliver climate, economic, and racial justice.