Congressional Democrats are done waiting on Republicans. Yesterday, members of both the House and Senate said they're going to use a rarely-seen tactic to bring forward legislation. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer suggested using a discharge petition to advance immigration reform, and House Democrats announced that they will use that same procedure to bring a minimum wage increase up for a vote. A discharge petition is a way to bypass Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who refuses to allow a vote on either of these measures.

Last week, on MSNBC, House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer said, “They're the party of no. They're the party of repeal. They're the party that doesn't have the ear of the American public.” So now, his party is taking matters into their own hands. Although Democrats admit that this tactic may not be successful, Republican obstructionism has left them no other option but to try and force a vote on issues that Americans care about.

Moving forward with these discharge petitions for higher pay and immigration reform will also put political pressure on Republicans, who will have to explain to their constituents why they would not even allow a vote on these important topics. Democrats know that the American people are sick and tired of this do-nothing Congress, so they're taking a chance on a long-shot maneuver to get to work on The People's business. They're putting pressure on Republicans to get something done, and we can help by making sure that all of our lawmakers know that we're watching.