As Electoral College Makes Biden Win Official, Grassroots Group Demands He Delivers for Working People

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PA Stands Up

PA Stands Up will release a 2-minute video to remind him that the communities that elected him need bold action now more than ever.

Pennsylvania–Working people of all races delivered the presidency for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania. As the electoral college meets to certify the will of the people today, those same people are reminding Biden that now it’s his turn to deliver for working people. Today, PA Stands Up, it’s nine chapters, and other allies will distribute a 2-minute video featuring some of the many members of the multiracial coalition who won this election for Joe Biden.

The organization’s volunteers moved more than 53,000 people to vote for Biden in a state he won by just 81,000 votes. Now, they’re calling for Joe Biden to show up for them.

“We want to see Biden and the Democrats move rapidly on a People’s Bailout relief package that supports working people of all races at the scale that’s needed right now,” said Ashleigh Strange, an organizer with Lehigh Valley Stands Up who appears in the video. “Unlike the previous bailout packages, funding must be squarely directed to workers, the unemployed, and state governments; NOT large corporations. We need to expand public health insurance to deal with Covid’s dual impact — leaving millions sick as they also lose their jobs and with it healthcare insurance. We need Biden to ensure healthcare for all, cancel student debt, and expand democracy with significant reforms to voting, statehood, and the courts. And to be clear: he should absolutely use executive actions when and where necessary to address these and so many more critical issues.”

In the middle of a global pandemic and deep economic crisis, the working people who delivered this election for Joe Biden know what our communities need: healthcare for all, good union jobs, a future for our children, environmental and racial justice, and more. Grassroots organizers say they’re troubled by reports in recent days that Biden is hesitant about using executive authority, as well as his appointment of corporate elites and party bigwigs like Tom Vilsack to the Department of Agriculture. They’re ready to hold him accountable for delivering for the people who elected him.

“We need the Biden administration to take bold action for transformative change,” said Jane Palmer, who also appears in the video and is a volunteer and founder of Berks Stands Up. “Everyday working people like me won this election for Joe Biden. Not super PACs, TV ads, or even the Democratic party. Now that he’s won, we’re not going back to brunch. We’re going to hold his feet to fire to make sure he and other elected leaders deliver for working people of all races.”

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