Press Releases

Washington, DC –– Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) joined with almost every Democratic Member of the House freshman class to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a debate and an up or down vote on the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 949).

The For the People Act passed the House in March and is a once-in-a-generation anti-corruption, voting rights, and money in politics reform bill.

“The American people are sick and tired of the status quo. They have known for a long time that our political process has been corrupted by the influence of dark and corporate money, as well as insidious voter suppression tactics. The For the People Act is a once in a generation opportunity to overhaul our electoral system and make sure that Congress is responsive to the people, not special interests. The very notion that this overwhelmingly popular bill is being denied a vote in the Senate at the whims of one man, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, is indicative of how broken the system is. Our constituents expect and deserve better,” said Rep. Trahan.  

“Across the country, the American people have made clear that they want Congress to enact meaningful anti-corruption reform. That's why we pledged action on comprehensive campaign finance, ethics, and voting reforms as the first priority for the 116th Congress. As newly sworn-in Members, we got right to work on the For the People Act (H.R. 1), the most comprehensive set of pro-democracy reforms in a generation, passing it out of the House in March. Following a campaign season in which corruption and the power of special interests was a central theme, H.R. 1 delivered on our promise to clean up Washington and create a democracy that works for all of us,” the 62 Freshman Democratic Members wrote in the letter.

You can read the full text of the letter HERE.

“In the 2018 midterms, the American people demanded reform and elected leaders who would fight against the special interests controlling Washington,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “By passing the For the People Act so swiftly, the new Democratic majority proved they are accountable to voters, not special interests. The House has done its job, but because of Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate hasn’t even held a hearing on the bill. Mitch McConnell is acting like a puppet in the hands of the Big Money corporate special interests that keep him in power. McConnell should listen to the people and allow the Senate to vote on the For the People Act.”

Below is a list of Democratic Freshman members of the U.S. House who have signed the letter: Representatives Max Rose (NY-11), Colin Allred (TX-32), Jason Crow (CO-06), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Katie Porter (CA-45), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07).Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Greg Stanton (AZ-09), Josh Harder (CA-10), TJ Cox (CA-21), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Katie Hill (CA-25), Gil Cisneros (CA-39), Harley Rouda (CA-48), Mike Levin (CA-49), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Donna Shalala (FL-27), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Ed Case (HI-01), Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), Cindy Axne (IA-03), Jesus Chuy García (IL-04), Sean Casten (IL-06), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), David Trone (MD-06), Andy Levin (MI-09), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Angie Craig (MN-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Deb Haaland (NM-01), Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02), Susie Lee (NV-03), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Kendra Horn (OK-05), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05),  Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Susan Wild (PA-07), Conor Lamb (PA-17), Joe Cunningham (SC-01), Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (TX-07), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Ben McAdams (UT-04), Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), and Kim Schrier (WA-08).

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