Earlier today, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Georgia on the need to pass critical voting rights protections including the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Ghida Dagher, president of New American Leaders and New American Leaders Action Fund, shared the following comment in response to his speech:
“President Biden and Vice President Harris’ speeches were powerful reminders of what New Americans know all too well: Our rights and our democracy are under attack.
“From state legislatures to the United States Senate, Republicans have repeatedly shown that they are willing to put our democracy on the line to uphold anti-voter legislation rooted in white supremacy.
“As President Biden said, the time has come to confront the hard truth that our democracy cannot survive without protecting the right to vote. But unless Senate Democrats take immediate action, his words will be more empty rhetoric.
“New Americans and our communities put Senate Democrats in office, trusting them to protect our rights. Now it is time for them to act and prove that our trust was not misplaced.
“Republicans know advancing progressive legislation becomes moot absent the safeguarding of voting access. The will of the people cannot be heard. Senate Democrats must take whatever actions necessary — including changing Senate rules — to ensure this does not happen. Our communities will not be silenced or pushed out of our democracy — the time for meaningful action is now.”