As Sen. McConnell kicks off new Senate with filibuster threat, Fix Our Senate coalition dials up pressure to eliminate his tool of partisan obstruction
Washington, D.C. — Today, Fix Our Senate and a broad coalition of advocacy groups launched a full page ad in the New York Times calling on Senate Democrats to eliminate the filibuster and remove Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s most potent tool for creating gridlock and blocking President Biden’s agenda from the minority. This new ad is a part of a continuing national campaign to raise awareness of how the filibuster allows Sen. McConnell to maintain his power from the minority and prevent popular legislation from becoming law, and to urge Senators to eliminate it and deliver on the promises they made to their constituents. This latest push comes as Sen. McConnell kicked the new Senate off with an unprecedented and egregious filibuster threat of a routine Senate resolution affirming the Democratic majority and allowing Democrats to take control of Senate Committees.
Fix Our Senate was joined on the full page ad by a broad coalition, including the Sunrise Movement, Indivisible, Demand Justice, Data for Progress, the Working Families Party, Stand Up America, Public Citizen, the Democracy Initiative, Evergreen Action, Common Cause, Communication Workers of America, and Our Revolution.
The ad features a large picture of Senator McConnell and the text “Americans just voted to put Democrats in charge of the Senate. Are Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats going to let Mitch McConnell keep running the show? Eliminate the filibuster. End the gridlock. Make our government work again.”
Eli Zupnick, spokesman for Fix Our Senate, commented:
"Majority Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats are standing strong against Minority Leader McConnell's desperate attempts to preserve the filibuster and undermine the Biden agenda right from the start, and with this ad we wanted t to highlight that people across the country have their backs now and are expecting them to keep up the fight until this weapon of partisan obstruction is eliminated. Senate Democrats have two choices: they can either allow Sen. McConnell to block their agenda from the minority and spend two years complaining about it, or they can eliminate the filibuster and deliver the results they promised.
Recent polling found that 64% of voters nationwide say they support eliminating the filibuster, and Fix Our Senate is calling on Democrats to move America forward after four years of the disastrous Trump-McConnell government.
