Fix Our Senate Spokesman Eli Zupnick: “This is about to move from an abstract conversation about Senate rules to a very clear choice for Senate Democrats: Protect the Jim Crow filibuster or protect American democracy – they won’t be able to do both.”
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called defeating the For the People Act his “top priority”
Fix Our Senate announces new ad buy: “They Must Choose” now running in multiple states as For the People heads toward Senate floor
Washington, DC — Today, the Senate Rules Committee will hold a markup of S.1, the For the People Act. This historic legislation would protect, defend, and expand voting rights and make necessary electoral and democratic reforms across the country. Despite widespread popular support, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made it clear that he and his fellow Republicans will do everything in their power to block this critical legislation, and plan to use the filibuster as their tool of gridlock and obstruction.
This markup is coming as Republican state legislatures across the country are working to strip voting rights from their constituents, and the best defense we have is the For the People Act. In late April, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in an interview with MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan that “failure is not an option” for S.1. When asked about eliminating the filibuster to get it through, Senator Schumer responded: “everything is on the table.”
Coming out of the markup, Fix Our Senate will be launching another round of digital ads in key states across the country to make sure voters understand the clear choice between the filibuster, which, as the ad highlights, President Obama called a “Jim Crow relic,” and the For the People Act.
Fix Our Senate Spokesman Eli Zupnick gave the following statement:
"Senate Republicans are hell-bent on blocking the For the People Act and plan to use the filibuster to prevent this popular bill from even getting an up-or-down-vote. With Republican state legislatures across the country passing massive anti-voting bills there is no time to waste trying to bring ten Republicans on board a bill that Sen. McConnell will never allow his caucus to support.
"This is about to move from an abstract conversation about Senate rules to a very clear choice for Senate Democrats: Protect the ‘Jim Crow’ filibuster or protect American democracy – they won’t be able to do both.
"We appreciate the strong leadership of Majority Leader Schumer, Chairwoman Klobuchar, and Senator Merkley and thank them for their commitment to getting this bill over the finish line in the face of clear partisan opposition.”