[ACT NOW] Violence has no place in our communities

Plus, the ongoing battle against voter suppression and the racist legacy of the filibuster Problems viewing this email? [View it in your browser]( [Center for American Progress]( InProgress from the Center for American Progress The real success of community violence intervention programs [Denise Villamil sits for a CAP interview. ]( Every [11 minutes]( communities and families are shattered by gun violence. Community violence intervention (CVI) programs stop cycles of violence by relying on outreach workers who are already connected to their communities to provide specialized support and access to services for education, employment, conflict resolution, coaching, and more. Research shows that when properly implemented and funded, CVI programs are among the most effective strategies for addressing community violence and encouraging people to pursue alternative avenues for resolving conflicts. Hear from three CVI leaders on the tangible successes they have seen from implementing these programs in their community. [Hear From CVI Workers]( Take action to fund CVI No child or family should live in fear of gun violence. CVI programs have reduced shootings by as much as [60 percent]( and reduced arrests for violent crimes by more than [70 percent](. Congress can help make our communities safer by increasing funding for local CVI programs. We're only 48% to our goal for signatures. Help us reach our goal by adding your name today: [Add Your Name]( The racist legacy of the filibuster is alive and well today [Storm clouds hang above the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.]( Photo credit: Getty Images Since the end of the 19th century, the filibuster—a political procedure used in the U.S. Senate by one or more members to delay or block legislation—has emerged as a preeminent institutional tool used to deny rights and liberties to tens of millions of Black and brown Americans. This legacy, however, is not a relic of the past; it is alive and well today through its repeated use to prevent the passage of [critical voting rights legislation]( including the Freedom to Vote Act and the reauthorization of the monumental Voting Rights Act of 1965. This latest chapter in the filibuster’s history comes at a time when many states are enacting targeted measures to prevent historically disenfranchised communities from accessing the ballot box. Put simply, the fight to ensure Americans’ civil rights are upheld and protected is more urgent than ever. Read our [issue brief]( to learn more about the historic and current use of the filibuster to suppress the rights of Black and brown Americans: [Read More]( ICYMI: ‘Voting Rights in Alabama’ virtual conversation [Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones is seated with three other voting rights experts from Alabama]( [Watch the Video]( This spring, former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) sat down for a conversation with voting rights experts from Alabama. Highlighted in the panel discussion is a [new issue brief]( (see above) that analyzes how the Senate filibuster has been used to block critical advances in civil and voting rights and why institutional reforms are needed in Congress to protect and uphold the rights of all Americans. This [video]( is part of a two-part series that discusses the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, the role of the Senate filibuster in blocking important progress on civil rights, the continued struggle against voter suppression today, and the importance of federal action to protect the right to vote. [Sen. Doug Jones and civil rights attorney Fred Gray are seated in conversation]( Watch the [first video]( in the series in which Sen. Jones speaks with Fred Gray—a renowned civil rights attorney who represented Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the victims of the Tuskegee syphilis study—at the [Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center.]( Sen. Jones and Gray discuss in detail Gray’s legal work throughout the Civil Rights Movement and obstacles that are currently standing in the way of realizing all Americans’ civil and voting rights—including the Supreme Court and Congress: [Watch Now]( Congressional action is needed to sustain record-level ACA enrollment [A staff nurse checks a patient at a hospital]( Photo credit: Getty Images Nationwide, more than [20 million people]( enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage for the 2024 plan year, with [92 percent]( receiving financial assistance to lower the cost of that coverage. As a result, just less than half of all ACA marketplace enrollees are paying $10 or less in monthly premiums. This record level of enrollment was made possible by premium subsidy enhancements in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which built on the ACA and the American Rescue Plan Act to expand eligibility for financial assistance. This increased financial help made premium tax credits for low-income individuals and families more generous, guaranteeing that $0 premium plans were available to households with incomes between 100 and 150 percent of the federal poverty level. It also made premium tax credits newly available to middle-income households with incomes at or greater than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, capping premiums for silver benchmark plans at [8.5 percent]( of their household income until the end of 2025. These laws have played a vital role in breaking down the barriers that for too long made health coverage poor in quality or impossible to afford, particularly for people with preexisting conditions. But without congressional action, the IRA’s enhanced financial assistance supporting record ACA marketplace enrollment will expire at the end of 2025. A new CAP analysis explores how [plan selections]( in the 32 states that use the federally facilitated marketplace, along with Vermont and the District of Columbia, varied by congressional district during open enrollment for the 2024 plan year. In some districts, about 1 in 2 nonelderly people were covered through the marketplace. In these districts, a failure to extend current advanced premium tax credit enhancements could have devastating impacts on the affordability of coverage and the ability for people to remain [insured](. Use our interactive tool to see the number of people who selected marketplace plans for the 2024 plan year in each congressional district: [Explore Here]( Federal investments in action [Biden Administration Investment Tracker]( Explore the [Biden Administration Investment Tracker]( to see the impacts of the administration’s legislation—including new jobs, better infrastructure, and more. [Explore the Tracker]( [Stay Up to Date with the Latest Projects]( Follow us on [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on YouTube]( [Follow us on Instagram]( [Support CAP]( [Manage Email Preferences or Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( [Center for American Progress]( Center for American Progress 1333 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 [supporter]