Remember when a minority of senators refused to renew expiring emergency unemployment benefits?
Millions of jobless workers lived in fear as cold weather and the holidays approached. Some of our jobless brothers and sisters even lost the ability to warm their homes or put food on the table and gas in the car.
A minority of senators was able to hold emergency unemployment benefits hostage. For months. Ultimately, by threatening to manipulate Senate rules, they got their demand: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
Don’t let it happen again. Urge your senators to fight against obstructionism and delays by supporting commonsense rules reform.
Remember the James Zadroga 9/11 Act, a bill to give our 9/11 heroes the respect—and medical support—they deserve?
It took nine years for the Senate to pass it. And obstructionist senators got their demands met: critically needed benefits were slashed from $7.4 billion to $4.3 billion.
Don’t let it happen again. Tell your senators to fight Senate stonewalling by reforming the rules.
Remember the Employee Free Choice Act? It had majority support in the House and Senate, and the support of President Obama. But when one obstructionist lawmaker decided to filibuster it, that was enough to prevent the bill from even being debated in the Senate without 60 votes.
Don’t let it happen again. Support Senate rules reform.
On MONDAY, the new Senate will begin shaping its rules for the next two years. Senators will consider a resolution to significantly improve the rules.
Only a majority vote is needed to make major improvements to Senate rules. But some senators are on the fence. Please reach out to both your senators—urge them to support commonsense Senate rules reform and to get their colleagues to join them.
Urge your senators to support commonsense reforms that end the ability of one senator—or a handful—to block legislation and nominations from even coming to a vote.
The filibuster—the ability for a single senator to demand 60 votes to even bring legislation to the Senate floor for debate—has been used more times over the past four years than in 1920–1980 combined.
For too long, one lone senator—or a small group—has been able to block, stall, hold hostage or water down legislation and nominations. Hundreds of measures that passed in the House were never even voted on in the Senate. No wonder Americans are so frustrated with the lack of progress in Congress.
To put an end to the standstill and delays, a majority of senators already has expressed support for changing the rules. Here are the commonsense rule changes on the table:
Millions of jobless workers lived in fear as cold weather and the holidays approached. Some of our jobless brothers and sisters even lost the ability to warm their homes or put food on the table and gas in the car.
A minority of senators was able to hold emergency unemployment benefits hostage. For months. Ultimately, by threatening to manipulate Senate rules, they got their demand: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
Don’t let it happen again. Urge your senators to fight against obstructionism and delays by supporting commonsense rules reform.
Remember the James Zadroga 9/11 Act, a bill to give our 9/11 heroes the respect—and medical support—they deserve?
It took nine years for the Senate to pass it. And obstructionist senators got their demands met: critically needed benefits were slashed from $7.4 billion to $4.3 billion.
Don’t let it happen again. Tell your senators to fight Senate stonewalling by reforming the rules.
Remember the Employee Free Choice Act? It had majority support in the House and Senate, and the support of President Obama. But when one obstructionist lawmaker decided to filibuster it, that was enough to prevent the bill from even being debated in the Senate without 60 votes.
Don’t let it happen again. Support Senate rules reform.
On MONDAY, the new Senate will begin shaping its rules for the next two years. Senators will consider a resolution to significantly improve the rules.
Only a majority vote is needed to make major improvements to Senate rules. But some senators are on the fence. Please reach out to both your senators—urge them to support commonsense Senate rules reform and to get their colleagues to join them.
Urge your senators to support commonsense reforms that end the ability of one senator—or a handful—to block legislation and nominations from even coming to a vote.
The filibuster—the ability for a single senator to demand 60 votes to even bring legislation to the Senate floor for debate—has been used more times over the past four years than in 1920–1980 combined.
For too long, one lone senator—or a small group—has been able to block, stall, hold hostage or water down legislation and nominations. Hundreds of measures that passed in the House were never even voted on in the Senate. No wonder Americans are so frustrated with the lack of progress in Congress.
To put an end to the standstill and delays, a majority of senators already has expressed support for changing the rules. Here are the commonsense rule changes on the table:
- Eliminate “secret holds” so one obstructionist senator can’t anonymously block critical nominations and legislation.
- Allow only one opportunity to filibuster any given measure or nomination.
- Make sure that once senators have had an opportunity to express their views, every measure or nomination gets a yes or no vote.
- Bring honor back to the Senate rules by requiring filibustering lawmakers to continually hold the floor and debate—rather than placing a phone call and heading home.
The Senate could decide on this reasonable, commonsense proposal during its first day in session, just a few days from now.
Send a message to your senators now: Cut through the obstructionism and move our country forward.
Fixing Senate rules is only the beginning of a long-term fight to strengthen our democracy. As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently said, “We need to educate our children, build a clean energy future and invest in 21st century American infrastructure that makes us competitive in the world.”
To do that, we’ve got to end the political games used to delay and block essential legislation and nominations. Improving Senate rules will get that process started. Please take action now.
In Solidarity,
Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO
P.S. The abuse of Senate rules doesn't just impact legislation. Presidential nominations and judges are affected, too. For more than two years—from December 2007 to March 2010—the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is tasked with protecting workers’ rights, was left in a dysfunctional state by senators abusing the rules. President Obama sent the Senate well-qualified nominees who had broad support. But that didn’t matter. Anti-worker senators refused to appoint anyone—leaving the board without a quorum to conduct business.
Hurry: Tell your senators to do everything possible to stop Senate stonewalling.
Send a message to your senators now: Cut through the obstructionism and move our country forward.
Fixing Senate rules is only the beginning of a long-term fight to strengthen our democracy. As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently said, “We need to educate our children, build a clean energy future and invest in 21st century American infrastructure that makes us competitive in the world.”
To do that, we’ve got to end the political games used to delay and block essential legislation and nominations. Improving Senate rules will get that process started. Please take action now.
In Solidarity,
Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO
P.S. The abuse of Senate rules doesn't just impact legislation. Presidential nominations and judges are affected, too. For more than two years—from December 2007 to March 2010—the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is tasked with protecting workers’ rights, was left in a dysfunctional state by senators abusing the rules. President Obama sent the Senate well-qualified nominees who had broad support. But that didn’t matter. Anti-worker senators refused to appoint anyone—leaving the board without a quorum to conduct business.
Hurry: Tell your senators to do everything possible to stop Senate stonewalling.
Our 9/11 heroes waited years to get the medical care they need—only to have billions of dollars in benefits shaved off the top. Unemployment aid was held hostage to get tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. And a minority of senators was able to block President Obama’s nominations to the NLRB to enforce workers’ rights. All because senators manipulated procedural rules.
Urge your senators to stop obstructionism and support commonsense rules reform.
Urge your senators to stop obstructionism and support commonsense rules reform.
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