[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 133 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H4259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY

  (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I would like to address my remarks to 
President Biden.
  Mr. President, as you rightly said in Philadelphia this month, we 
face the most dangerous threat to free and fair elections in our 
history. To meet this threat to our democracy, we need only do what is 
plainly possible: Use our majorities to pass the For the People Act.
  But we cannot succeed unless you call for abolishing or reforming the 
filibuster.
  You have urged the American people to be, ``clear-eyed about the 
obstruction we face.'' Well, that obstruction comes not only from 
Republicans, but also from Members of our own party.
  I know that you do not have a voice in the Senate. But you do have a 
voice, the most powerful on the planet. Unless you use it to lead, the 
Senators who stand in the way of democracy will continue to do so.
  The truth is, Mr. President, we can't just out-organize partisan 
gerrymanders. We can't just out-vote a party that is committed to 
overturning elections whose results they don't like.
  And we better not ask Black and Brown voters to do twice as much to 
save our democracy, when we in Washington cannot be bothered to do half 
as much as we should.
  We need new laws and we need your help to pass them.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their 
remarks to the Chair and not to a perceived viewing audience.

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