Dear Representative:
On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I am writing to urge you to vote for the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Resolution, and for the rule providing for consideration of the budget, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Any delay in passing the budget resolution will jeopardize the transformative goals of the Build Back Better reconciliation legislation. S. Con. Res. 14 makes the largest investment in America's working families since the New Deal, making critical investments in families, education, paid leave, clean energy jobs, and housing. It also strengthens enforcement of our labor laws, provides a long overdue path to citizenship, and expands access to affordable health care and prescription drugs. The budget resolution invests in our middle class, and those struggling to get into the middle class, by making large corporations and the rich pay their fair share in taxes. It would also help reverse decades of underinvestment in our communities, will grow our economy and create good union jobs.
The AFL-CIO also supports passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and we are confident it will pass before Congress adjourns for the year. This legislation will make the U.S. more globally competitive and spur long-term growth, supporting jobs across myriad industries. But there is no reason to threaten or delay passage of the much larger and more ambitious budget resolution, which needs to pass now if Congress is to complete the reconciliation process before the end of the year.
We also strongly support passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a critical step toward restoration of the protections undermined by the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. Discriminatory policies have not only resurfaced in areas formerly covered by the Voting Rights Act’s preclearance requirement, but also have proliferated nationwide. State and local officials brazenly have imposed restrictive voting requirements, altered district boundaries, and shifted polling locations in ways that make voting more difficult and less accessible for many voters. H.R. 4 would address these disenfranchisement strategies, as well as others certain to develop.
The integrity of our democracy depends on ensuring that every eligible voter can participate in the electoral process, and thus, voting discrimination demands strong bipartisan legislative action. Every member of Congress should go on record today in support of this historic legislation.
We urge you to support S. Con. Res. 14 to advance the President’s Build Back Better agenda, and the rule which will allow votes on crucial infrastructure and voting rights legislation.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs