NETWORK Lobby Deeply Disappointed by Senate Failure to Protect Democracy

For Immediate Release: January 19, 2022
Contact: Colleen Ross, cross@networklobby.org, 202-601-7877

Catholic Lobby Deeply Disappointed by Senate Failure to Protect Democracy
Mary J. Novak: “It is shameful to choose procedure over the sacred right to vote.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight in a 48-52 vote, the Senate failed to approve Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s proposal to reform Senate rules to pass H.R.5746 the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, by a simple majority vote.

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice is deeply disappointed by the outcome of this vote and the failure of 52 Senators to champion the God-given dignity of every voter and their right to be heard at the ballot box. NETWORK advocates across the country will continue supporting legislation that protects the right to vote for all voters, especially Black, Brown, and Native American voters.

Mary J. Novak, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Executive Director, said:

“Tonight, all Senators should have come together to reject the wave of anti-democratic, restrictive voting legislation sweeping across our country. Instead, 52 Senators gave their tacit approval of these full-blown attacks on our democracy. It is shameful to choose procedure over the sacred right to vote.”

Min. Christian S. Watkins, NETWORK Justice Systems Reform Government Relations Advocate, said:

“Today, racist relics are resurgent, alive and thriving. We the People are suffering, and will suffer further because of the Senate’s failure to act for our common good. As Dr. King prayed in 1967, ‘we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values.’ We need reformation and transformation to build an inclusive, multiracial democracy.”

NETWORK joins the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the National Black Sisters Conference in their urgent call for Senators to do everything in their power to strengthen our democracy and protect every person’s sacred right to vote.

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NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org