Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after returning from the White House on January 02, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Jan 06, 2019
With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refusing to allow a floor vote on government funding bills that passed the Democratic House last week, progressive organizations are attempting to force the GOP leader's hand by pressuring Democrats to stonewall all Senate business and legislation that is unrelated to reopening the federal government.
"Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Democrats can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote."
--Ezra Levin, Indivisible
"Instead of addressing the most urgent issue, Mitch McConnell is planning to bring unrelated bills to the floor for a vote," declared Indivisible, one of the groups leading the pressure campaign. "He'd like to pretend that it's business as usual in the Senate--not that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay."
"It's time to play hardball," the group added. "It's simple: the only thing that the Senate should be working on right now is ending this shutdown. The House has done its job. Now it's time for the Senate to do the same."
On Tuesday, McConnell reportedly plans to hold a procedural vote on Senate Bill 1 (S.1), bipartisan legislation that would hand states and localities more power to punish boycotts of Israel--a move the ACLU condemned as a flagrant attack on the First Amendment.
Ahead of the scheduled vote, MoveOn.org, Indivisible, the AFL-CIO, and other progressive groups are calling on the public to flood their senators' phonelines and urge them to oppose Tuesday's motion to proceed, as well as any other measures unrelated to solving the ongoing government shutdown.
"Senators should refuse to proceed to any legislation until the government is re-opened. If it's not a funding bill, then it should wait," Indivisible said. "McConnell can only proceed with other legislation if he has 60 votes to end debate. That means that if enough senators stick together, they hold up legislation until the government re-opens. Call your senators now (whether they're Democrats or Republicans, because Republicans really should get on board with this too) and tell them: no votes on other legislation until the government re-opens."
\u201cYES. Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Dems can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote. Next opportunity is Tuesday - ask your Senator to "vote against the motion to proceed on S.1"\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546801166
\u201cHere's how to help pressure McConnell to end the shutdown:\n1) Call your senator: 202-224-3121 \n2) Tell the staffer "I want your boss to vote Tuesday against the motion to proceed on S.1 & everything else until McConnell agrees to a budget vote."\n3) Repeat for your other senator\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546884629
As of this writing, at least ten senators have publicly vowed to stand with the progressive grassroots and block legislation unrelated to reopening the government. Those senators are: Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
"Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve."
--Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO
According to the Washington Post's Jeff Stein, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) "has started telling the caucus he will vote against" the motion to proceed on Tuesday "because the government shutdown remains unresolved." This news comes just days after The Interceptreported that Schumer plans to support the legislation punishing boycotts of Israel.
"We should insist that our focus be on reopening the government," Van Hollen told the Post on Monday. "Hundreds of thousands of people are working without pay. Hundreds of thousands more are being furloughed. Lots of small businesses that contract with the federal government are hurting. And you've got all the services being denied to the American people. That will continue to grow."
\u201cAs a result of Trump's shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are in danger of not receiving a paycheck.\n\nThey're worried about how they'll pay their mortgages, feed their families and put gas in their cars.\n\nUnbelievably, Republican leader Mitch McConnell refuses to take action.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1546889574
In a statement on Monday, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka argued that ending the government shutdown and allowing the hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers to return to their jobs "must be the highest and only priority of the U.S. Senate."
"The AFL-CIO calls on all senators to reject consideration of any bills or business unrelated to opening the government," Trumka said. "Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve. Politicians need to do their job and allow us to do ours."
The progressive groups' pressure campaign comes as the government shutdown continued into its third week on Monday, with President Donald Trump refusing to back away from his demand for $5 billion in funding for his "border wall."
Last week, and then again over the weekend, the president threatened to declare a "national emergency" to build the wall--a move some legal experts said would be an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Further indicating that he is sticking with his wall demand, Trump announced in a tweet that he will deliver an address Tuesday night on what he called "the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border."
\u201cNote: Trump is announcing this speech w/a big lie -- a "national security crisis" at the border.\n\nHumanitarian crisis is real, though.\n\nTest for news orgs: Whether Trump will successfully use them to broadcast forth unfiltered propaganda designed to deceive their readers/viewers.\u201d— Greg Sargent (@Greg Sargent) 1546887366
\u201cA great response to this clown show would be all Senate Dems voting against the motion to proceed on S.1 Tuesday night and pressuring McConnell to bring up a bipartisan budget for a vote.\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546889473
As an alternative to Trump's demands, progressive groups are calling for passage of a "clean" government funding bill without any money for border wall construction, detention beds, or border agents.
"This is not business as usual," Indivisible said. "It's Congress' responsibility to fund the government, a responsibility that McConnell is now abdicating. Luckily, McConnell can only proceed with his plan if he has the support of at least 60 senators, which means Democrats have the power to stop him in his tracks."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
afl-cioben cardinbernie sanderschuck schumercory bookerdemocratic partyindivisiblekamala harrismitch mcconnellmoveon.orgrepublican partytrumpismus houseus senate
With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refusing to allow a floor vote on government funding bills that passed the Democratic House last week, progressive organizations are attempting to force the GOP leader's hand by pressuring Democrats to stonewall all Senate business and legislation that is unrelated to reopening the federal government.
"Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Democrats can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote."
--Ezra Levin, Indivisible
"Instead of addressing the most urgent issue, Mitch McConnell is planning to bring unrelated bills to the floor for a vote," declared Indivisible, one of the groups leading the pressure campaign. "He'd like to pretend that it's business as usual in the Senate--not that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay."
"It's time to play hardball," the group added. "It's simple: the only thing that the Senate should be working on right now is ending this shutdown. The House has done its job. Now it's time for the Senate to do the same."
On Tuesday, McConnell reportedly plans to hold a procedural vote on Senate Bill 1 (S.1), bipartisan legislation that would hand states and localities more power to punish boycotts of Israel--a move the ACLU condemned as a flagrant attack on the First Amendment.
Ahead of the scheduled vote, MoveOn.org, Indivisible, the AFL-CIO, and other progressive groups are calling on the public to flood their senators' phonelines and urge them to oppose Tuesday's motion to proceed, as well as any other measures unrelated to solving the ongoing government shutdown.
"Senators should refuse to proceed to any legislation until the government is re-opened. If it's not a funding bill, then it should wait," Indivisible said. "McConnell can only proceed with other legislation if he has 60 votes to end debate. That means that if enough senators stick together, they hold up legislation until the government re-opens. Call your senators now (whether they're Democrats or Republicans, because Republicans really should get on board with this too) and tell them: no votes on other legislation until the government re-opens."
\u201cYES. Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Dems can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote. Next opportunity is Tuesday - ask your Senator to "vote against the motion to proceed on S.1"\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546801166
\u201cHere's how to help pressure McConnell to end the shutdown:\n1) Call your senator: 202-224-3121 \n2) Tell the staffer "I want your boss to vote Tuesday against the motion to proceed on S.1 & everything else until McConnell agrees to a budget vote."\n3) Repeat for your other senator\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546884629
As of this writing, at least ten senators have publicly vowed to stand with the progressive grassroots and block legislation unrelated to reopening the government. Those senators are: Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
"Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve."
--Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO
According to the Washington Post's Jeff Stein, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) "has started telling the caucus he will vote against" the motion to proceed on Tuesday "because the government shutdown remains unresolved." This news comes just days after The Interceptreported that Schumer plans to support the legislation punishing boycotts of Israel.
"We should insist that our focus be on reopening the government," Van Hollen told the Post on Monday. "Hundreds of thousands of people are working without pay. Hundreds of thousands more are being furloughed. Lots of small businesses that contract with the federal government are hurting. And you've got all the services being denied to the American people. That will continue to grow."
\u201cAs a result of Trump's shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are in danger of not receiving a paycheck.\n\nThey're worried about how they'll pay their mortgages, feed their families and put gas in their cars.\n\nUnbelievably, Republican leader Mitch McConnell refuses to take action.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1546889574
In a statement on Monday, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka argued that ending the government shutdown and allowing the hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers to return to their jobs "must be the highest and only priority of the U.S. Senate."
"The AFL-CIO calls on all senators to reject consideration of any bills or business unrelated to opening the government," Trumka said. "Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve. Politicians need to do their job and allow us to do ours."
The progressive groups' pressure campaign comes as the government shutdown continued into its third week on Monday, with President Donald Trump refusing to back away from his demand for $5 billion in funding for his "border wall."
Last week, and then again over the weekend, the president threatened to declare a "national emergency" to build the wall--a move some legal experts said would be an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Further indicating that he is sticking with his wall demand, Trump announced in a tweet that he will deliver an address Tuesday night on what he called "the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border."
\u201cNote: Trump is announcing this speech w/a big lie -- a "national security crisis" at the border.\n\nHumanitarian crisis is real, though.\n\nTest for news orgs: Whether Trump will successfully use them to broadcast forth unfiltered propaganda designed to deceive their readers/viewers.\u201d— Greg Sargent (@Greg Sargent) 1546887366
\u201cA great response to this clown show would be all Senate Dems voting against the motion to proceed on S.1 Tuesday night and pressuring McConnell to bring up a bipartisan budget for a vote.\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546889473
As an alternative to Trump's demands, progressive groups are calling for passage of a "clean" government funding bill without any money for border wall construction, detention beds, or border agents.
"This is not business as usual," Indivisible said. "It's Congress' responsibility to fund the government, a responsibility that McConnell is now abdicating. Luckily, McConnell can only proceed with his plan if he has the support of at least 60 senators, which means Democrats have the power to stop him in his tracks."
With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refusing to allow a floor vote on government funding bills that passed the Democratic House last week, progressive organizations are attempting to force the GOP leader's hand by pressuring Democrats to stonewall all Senate business and legislation that is unrelated to reopening the federal government.
"Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Democrats can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote."
--Ezra Levin, Indivisible
"Instead of addressing the most urgent issue, Mitch McConnell is planning to bring unrelated bills to the floor for a vote," declared Indivisible, one of the groups leading the pressure campaign. "He'd like to pretend that it's business as usual in the Senate--not that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay."
"It's time to play hardball," the group added. "It's simple: the only thing that the Senate should be working on right now is ending this shutdown. The House has done its job. Now it's time for the Senate to do the same."
On Tuesday, McConnell reportedly plans to hold a procedural vote on Senate Bill 1 (S.1), bipartisan legislation that would hand states and localities more power to punish boycotts of Israel--a move the ACLU condemned as a flagrant attack on the First Amendment.
Ahead of the scheduled vote, MoveOn.org, Indivisible, the AFL-CIO, and other progressive groups are calling on the public to flood their senators' phonelines and urge them to oppose Tuesday's motion to proceed, as well as any other measures unrelated to solving the ongoing government shutdown.
"Senators should refuse to proceed to any legislation until the government is re-opened. If it's not a funding bill, then it should wait," Indivisible said. "McConnell can only proceed with other legislation if he has 60 votes to end debate. That means that if enough senators stick together, they hold up legislation until the government re-opens. Call your senators now (whether they're Democrats or Republicans, because Republicans really should get on board with this too) and tell them: no votes on other legislation until the government re-opens."
\u201cYES. Time to take it up a notch. McConnell refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan House budget. Dems can grind Senate business to a near halt until he agrees to a vote. Next opportunity is Tuesday - ask your Senator to "vote against the motion to proceed on S.1"\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546801166
\u201cHere's how to help pressure McConnell to end the shutdown:\n1) Call your senator: 202-224-3121 \n2) Tell the staffer "I want your boss to vote Tuesday against the motion to proceed on S.1 & everything else until McConnell agrees to a budget vote."\n3) Repeat for your other senator\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546884629
As of this writing, at least ten senators have publicly vowed to stand with the progressive grassroots and block legislation unrelated to reopening the government. Those senators are: Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
"Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve."
--Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO
According to the Washington Post's Jeff Stein, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) "has started telling the caucus he will vote against" the motion to proceed on Tuesday "because the government shutdown remains unresolved." This news comes just days after The Interceptreported that Schumer plans to support the legislation punishing boycotts of Israel.
"We should insist that our focus be on reopening the government," Van Hollen told the Post on Monday. "Hundreds of thousands of people are working without pay. Hundreds of thousands more are being furloughed. Lots of small businesses that contract with the federal government are hurting. And you've got all the services being denied to the American people. That will continue to grow."
\u201cAs a result of Trump's shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are in danger of not receiving a paycheck.\n\nThey're worried about how they'll pay their mortgages, feed their families and put gas in their cars.\n\nUnbelievably, Republican leader Mitch McConnell refuses to take action.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1546889574
In a statement on Monday, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka argued that ending the government shutdown and allowing the hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers to return to their jobs "must be the highest and only priority of the U.S. Senate."
"The AFL-CIO calls on all senators to reject consideration of any bills or business unrelated to opening the government," Trumka said. "Every day this senseless and manufactured crisis drags on, real families with very real bills are harmed and millions are denied the vital services we deserve. Politicians need to do their job and allow us to do ours."
The progressive groups' pressure campaign comes as the government shutdown continued into its third week on Monday, with President Donald Trump refusing to back away from his demand for $5 billion in funding for his "border wall."
Last week, and then again over the weekend, the president threatened to declare a "national emergency" to build the wall--a move some legal experts said would be an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Further indicating that he is sticking with his wall demand, Trump announced in a tweet that he will deliver an address Tuesday night on what he called "the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border."
\u201cNote: Trump is announcing this speech w/a big lie -- a "national security crisis" at the border.\n\nHumanitarian crisis is real, though.\n\nTest for news orgs: Whether Trump will successfully use them to broadcast forth unfiltered propaganda designed to deceive their readers/viewers.\u201d— Greg Sargent (@Greg Sargent) 1546887366
\u201cA great response to this clown show would be all Senate Dems voting against the motion to proceed on S.1 Tuesday night and pressuring McConnell to bring up a bipartisan budget for a vote.\u201d— Ezra Levin (@Ezra Levin) 1546889473
As an alternative to Trump's demands, progressive groups are calling for passage of a "clean" government funding bill without any money for border wall construction, detention beds, or border agents.
"This is not business as usual," Indivisible said. "It's Congress' responsibility to fund the government, a responsibility that McConnell is now abdicating. Luckily, McConnell can only proceed with his plan if he has the support of at least 60 senators, which means Democrats have the power to stop him in his tracks."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.