Dear
Tell your senator to stop the obstruction: |
The US Senate is broken. On Tuesday, Nov 13, extremists in the Senate blocked a highly-qualified nominee, Nina Pillard, from being confirmed to the DC District Court. Your senator was one of just 41 senators who blocked the vote.[1]
This was the second nominee blocked in as many weeks -- and Senate extremists have pledged to block a third next week. To add insult to injury, all of these nominees are women or people of color.
No one argues that these nominees are not qualified, or even that they are out of the mainstream. They are being blocked because blocking any nominee to the DC Circuit will help advance the agenda of Big Polluters and other extremists.
Tell your senator to end the obstruction and give these nominees a fair up-or-down vote.
The DC Circuit Court often issues the final rules on clean air and climate action, so it's no surprise the obstructionists want to block these nominees. If they can block these nominations, challenges to clean air, clean water, and climate protection rules are more likely to be heard by pro-polluter judges.
And the stakes couldn't be higher. This showdown in the Senate comes on the tail of a disastrous government shutdown. A small number of senators still think they can hold government hostage to a special interest agenda.
We still have an opportunity to confirm these nominees. By contacting your senator, you'll show the American people don't support this obstruction.
If enough of us speak up, it will help break the deadlock and force either another vote or common sense rules reform so this kind of obstruction can't happen again.
Thank you for everything you do for our environment and democracy,
Robin Mann
Sierra Club Board Member and former President
Sierra Club
P.S. The more emails and calls we get into the Senate, the more likely we can break the logjam. Forward this email to your friends and family, or share the alert on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the buttons below:
References
[1] US Senate, Official vote count "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Cornelia T.L. Pillard, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit )" November 12, 2013