Commentary

Sierra Club Announces Support of Udall-Merkley-Harkin Filibuster Reform Legislation


Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 11, 2013. Yesterday, the Sierra Club – a member of the Fix the Senate Coalition – announced its support of S. Res 4, a critical proposal to reform the Senate rules sponsored by Senators Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley and Tom Harkin.

Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statements in response:

 “This reform package authored by Senators Udall, Merkley, and Harkin deserves the support of any American who is sick and tired of a Washington that doesn’t work. This proposal will bring desperately needed transparency and accountability to the Senate, helping end the obstructionism that has done nothing but enrich lobbyists and special interests while failing American families.

Nearly 400 bills have been silently killed by the mere threat of a filibuster, meaning a gesture as minor as a raised hand served to block any debate on the Senate floor and derailed progress to address critical issues such as the climate crisis, clean energy, and clean air and water. This reform package implements a talking filibuster, so that those Senators who stand in the way of the bills that would help solve our nation’s most pressing problems show their faces and tell the American people exactly why they object.

Make no mistake – this proposal is the only meaningful reform option on the table. That is why the Sierra Club intends to mobilize our 2.1 million members and supporters to call on their elected representatives to fix the Senate by passing this bill, ending the obstructionism, and getting to work doing the job they were elected to do.”

Source: sierraclub.org


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