Commentary: Today, House Democratic leaders praised the Democrats’ Resistance Summer program as an integral part of the Democrats’ push to hold Donald Trump & Paul Ryan accountable for their agenda and elect more Democrats to Congress. Resistance Summer is a nationwide organizing program spearheaded by the DNC that will help bolster state parties by investing in local organizing efforts to deliver future electoral successes up and down the ballot.
Tonight at 8:00PM ET, Representative John Lewis will join Representative Keith Ellison and Heather Booth for a special Democrats Live on Resistance Summer. House Democrats across the country will participate in Resistance Summer kickoff events on Saturday, June 3.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said: "Americans across the country are outraged – not only at Donald Trump’s scandal-ridden presidency, but at Republicans in Congress who voted to take health care away from 24 million Americans in order to finance another tax cut for millionaires and billionaires," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "But if we want to hold the GOP accountable, we need to convert that energy into wins at the ballot box. The Resistance Summer project will add to the avalanche of grassroots activism we've seen in every corner of the country since the Women's March. It will boost the voices of so many Americans who are committed to resist the Trump-Ryan-McConnell agenda that threatens our democracy and the economic security of the American people."
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said: "Across the country, we are seeing Americans of all walks of life come together to resist the Trump agenda," said Whip Hoyer. "I'm pleased the DNC is launching Resistance Summer to capitalize on that energy and enthusiasm, partnering with state parties and allies and making meaningful investments in local organizing. Our Members are engaged and looking forward to working together with the DNC to make this program a success. I'm confident it will yield positive results for our party in the months and years ahead."
Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn said: "We are in a fight for American values and it is a fight we must win. We resent Donald Trump's rhetoric and we must resist his policies. His just released budget is insulting to seniors, injurious to students, and offensive to middle income and upwardly mobile Americans. One would have to go back to the presidency of Herbert Hoover to find a budget as draconian."
House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley said: "The Resistance Summer project will ensure that the incredible grassroots energy we've seen in response to President Trump's dangerous agenda will continue in force. From voting to take away health care from millions of Americas to putting the interests of billionaires above working families, Donald Trump and the Republican Party have betrayed American families at every turn. I'm proud to work with the DNC to ensure that every voice is heard and that every American has the ability stand up and support our values."
House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sánchez said: “Winning in 2018 begins with mobilizing our grassroots coalition this summer. I am pleased that Tom Perez and Keith Ellison are bringing the Democratic Party together to defeat the harmful Trump-Ryan-McConnell policies from the ground up. Everyone who is worried about the direction Donald Trump and the Republicans are taking our country should join Democrats in Resistance Summer. We need to knock on as many door doors, make as many calls, and register as many voters as we can to turn the resistance into a nationwide movement.”
DCCC Chair Ben Ray Luján said: "The organic strength of the marches, healthcare rallies, and protests across the country makes it clear that Democrats are on offense this cycle. In February, the DCCC launched a substantial early investment in state parties to hire full-time organizers in targeted swing districts and I’m excited that the DNC is organizing a nationwide Resistance Summer."
Background on Resistance Summer:
The Resistance Summer program is a nationwide Democratic Party initiative designed to bolster state parties by investing in local organizing projects over the summer. Since Donald Trump’s inauguration, there has been an explosion of grassroots activity opposing this administration’s abuse of power and the Trump-Ryan agenda, which prioritizes tax cuts for the rich over the needs of middle-class and working families.
The program is a competitive matching grant program, where the DNC will help fund the important work done by state parties to achieve their organizing goals. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, each program will be unique to each state’s strategic priorities and organizational capacity.
Through Resistance Summer, the Democratic Party hopes to educate, organize, and mobilize grassroots energy from Democrats in all 57 states, territories and Democrats Abroad to help build our party’s base of political power, resist Trump’s attacks on hardworking families, and elect Democrats up-and-down the ticket.