President Biden’s important speech today in Philadelphia about protecting the freedom to vote must be met with the Senate passing legislation before they depart for their August recess. We thank him for his bold remarks.

As the President said, there is an unfolding assault on democracy and on liberty today with clear attempts to suppress and subvert the freedom to vote in free and fair elections. Administrative action, litigation, and organizing are critical to combat this, but these tactics are not a substitute for congressional action on the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

As the President ramps-up his use of the bully pulpit and engages with senators, we urge him to make clear that the Senate minority’s use of the filibuster—a Jim Crow relic, in the words of former President Obama—must never stand in the way of the freedom to vote.

This is especially crucial as Republican state legislatures continue a coordinated effort to silence Black and Brown voters who showed up in record numbers last year to vote.

The For the People Act has already passed the House. Republicans filibustered it last month. If the Senate can bypass the filibuster to send core elements of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan to President Biden’s desk, it ought to be able to do the same for anti-corruption legislation that protects the freedom to vote, breaks the grip of big money in politics, and ends gerrymandering.