The Battle for H.R. 1

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | MARCH 5, 2020freadshot

“Our battle for H.R. 1 will be fought for as long as it takes to win.”

This coming Sunday, March 8, marks one year since the House passed H.R. 1, historic democracy reform legislation to repair the nation’s broken political system and corrupt campaign finance system.

While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked Senate consideration of the bill in this Congress, nevertheless, we are on the doorstep of enacting transformational reforms that will renew and revitalize our democracy, depending on the outcome of the November elections.

H.R. 1 and its Senate counterpart S. 949, sponsored by 47 Senators, address fundamental governance problems for our country. These problems include political money corruption in Washington, voter suppression and discrimination, partisan gerrymandering, unprecedented ethics abuses by President Trump and his Administration, and election security.

The breakdown of our political system has played a central role in preventing Washington from addressing the nation’s biggest problems, such as health care, climate change, gun control, and fair taxes, to mention just a few.

We have a President who thinks he is a king with unchecked power. We have a polarized Congress that cannot reach the compromises and consensus that have been key to adopting policies to advance the interests of the American people.

We have a citizenry who believes, correctly, that the political system is rigged and that monied interests buy corrupting influence in Washington at the expense of ordinary Americans.

We are at a seminal moment in our history when fundamental changes must occur to keep our country moving forward. H.R. 1 will transform our political system, rebalance the distribution of power between ordinary Americans and the wealthy, and strengthen our democracy.

The Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, consisting of 145 diverse organizations, including Democracy 21, has played a major role in bringing H.R. 1 to the verge of enactment.

Our battle for H.R. 1 will be fought for as long as it takes to win.

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