is still on in congress and across the country. earlier today texas state democrats testified before a house oversight subcommittee about texas voting laws, detailing the restrictions voters there are facing. i m hoping i don t have to keep fighting this fight, that my grandchildren, my grandchildren s children will not have to keep repeating these struggles. the new version of the bill expected to include at least some demands made by senator joe manchin, who refused to sponsor the for the people act as it stood last month. here is what former texas congressman o rourke had to say on morning joe about what needs to be done on the hill. if we want to change this state, this country for the better, we have to vote. if we re going to be able to vote, we need new voting rights legislation. the filibuster will have to change. you ve changed it to approve fast track trade deals, supreme court justices, federal judges, budget deals. make an exception for voting rights legislation.
living wage because we ve got to connect voting to economics and recognize this is not just a black issue. it s not just jim crow. it s james crow, esquire. we re going to walk with our feet, put legs on our prayers, nationalize this and make a cry from texas. people of all races, creeds and color, because it s time. it s time. we have to demand these things and we can t have a little piece here and a little piece there and all of this negotiation. we need four things to happen. and the fifth thing we re going to add to it is we must protect our immigrants, in particular those daca students. all of this is connected to the protection of voting rights. congressman o rourke, let me ask you about that basic idea of nationalizing the fight in texas, as reverend barber just put it. you obviously have been straddling the different parts of your political power, your political base as a national figure in the democratic party, as a texan, somebody who s gone
our immigrants, in particular those daca students. all of this is connected to the protection of voting rights. congressman o rourke, let me ask you about that basic idea of nationalizing the fight in texas, as reverend barber just put it. you obviously have been straddling the different parts of your political power, your political base as a national figure in the democratic party, as a texan, somebody who s gone home to essentially barnstorm the state while texas democrats are in washington trying to get federal help. tell me about that idea of nationalizing the texas fight. well, those texas legislators in d.c. have already begun the important work of doing that, providing that moral pressure and leverage on the u.s. senate and president biden for that matter to pass the for the people act. that is the last best hope for voting rights not just in texas, but georgia, florida, and about a dozen other states that have passed voter suppression and voter intimidation measures.
activists. that s who is going to be talking to the nation. meryl barber and beto o rourke. thank you for helping us understand this tonight and talking us through it. i really appreciate you taking the time. thank you. thank you. the march they re holding will be from july 27th to july 30th. it is a 27-mile march from georgetown to austin, texas. they re going to do that over the course of those four days, and then the day after that, july 31st, a rally at the austin state capitol all to authorize the voting rights in texas to stop federal backstop protections. backstop protections.
dr. william barber, he s president of repairers of the breach and co-chair of the poor people s campaign. also beto o rourke, former democratic congressman from texas, the founder of powered by people, a grassroots organization working to mobilize texas voters. gentlemen, i m honored to have you both here tonight. i know you re in the middle of tons of organizing and tons of work. thank you both for being here. reverend barber, i d like to start with you. if you could just talk to us about what it is that you have planned. the announcement that you and congressman o rourke have made today about what your next steps are. well, thank you so much, rachel. you know, we won in north carolina. we actually took that mobilization, took it into court, and beat back the worst voter suppression bill since jim crow. we announced today that we re going to have beginning in georgetown, texas, on july the 27th, ending in austin, texas, on july the 31st a moral resurrection and a march from