Impeachment is at the top of the agenda in D.C. these days – and with good reason. Trump is on record repeatedly asking and pressuring foreign governments to interfere in our elections.  Impeachment is the only option for anyone who supports the rule of law, our constitutional foundations, and our democracy. 

But the rot in our government did not start with Trump, and it will not end when he is removed from office, indicted and jailed. Our system of elections is badly broken, our nation’s unity is frayed and greedy financial giants and corporate elites who rig the economy for their own benefit have more power and influence than everyday people trying to make a good life for their families. 

It’s up to the progressive movement to create a national platform that rights the wrongs of a Trump presidency and sets straight the course for a brighter, inclusive future for America. 

Corporations are tipping the scales in favor of the rich. Money buys elections and influence. The pharmaceutical lobby, Wall Street, and the NRA have the ear of Washington politicians every day of the week. They use their lobbying power to maximize profits and influence legislation in their favor, instead of putting people and the planet first.  

It doesn’t stop there. CEO salaries soar while families resort to GoFundMe campaigns for basic health care. Our national dialogue is poisoned with right-wing fueled lies and distortions that enable millions to unjustifiably trust their worst instincts and scapegoat people of color, low-income workers, immigrant families and children, and others. Finally, it’s been 10 years since the Supreme Court issued its disastrous Citizens United decision that unleashed a flood of unrestricted corrupt, special-interest money into American elections.  

Everyday people fighting to put food on the table, to afford child care, to keep their jobs never get the chance to be heard. Meanwhile, the wealthiest and most morally corrupt among us, gamble the soul of our nation and our livelihoods with high-priced lobbying, corporate mergers, buyouts and offshoring.  

We have a lot of work to do to level the playing field so that everyday people have a voice in our policies and our politics. We need to tackle big problems like money in politics and voter suppression. We need to enact the reforms that will return us to a government of, for, and by, the people. And we need our elected officials to start listening to ordinary people. Because ordinary people often have extraordinary ideas. 

That’s why the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center and Progressive Caucus Action Fund are blazing a bold, new progressive path. On Thursday and Friday, at the Progressive Strategy Summit in Washington, D.C., hundreds of grassroots activists and advocates who are fighting for change in cities and towns across this great nation will share their vision with members of Congress.  

This is not business as usual in Washington.  

At this conference, we’ll hear from people who some Washington lawmakers blatantly ignore. We’ll hear from African-American moms suffering pregnancy discrimination, public housing residents fighting for affordable housing and restaurant workers battling sexual harassment and the racist tipped minimum wage, to name just a few. Real people with real struggles coming to tell their stories of organizing on the front lines of change, and the change they need from Washington. 

From a town hall cosponsored with She the People featuring leading women of color activists from across the country and women of color champions in Congress, to a panel on how we organize to build long-term power in hard places like my hometown, to discussions on building worker power, democracy reform and Medicare for All, we are tackling the toughest questions about how we achieve racial, economic, gender and climate justice and save our democracy together. 

We are coming together as our democracy and the rule of law hang in the balance.  This generation of grassroots leaders and elected champions won’t stand for Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies selling out their country for profit or for political gain.  But we also know Donald Trump is a symptom, not the disease. 

Certainly, we must impeach. But, we must also act collectively to overcome the forces arrayed against us. We must dive deep into the policies, campaigns and practices that achieve justice across race, class, geography and gender. We can both hold this lawless president accountable for trying to dismantle our democracy and continue the fight to put people back in the center of our government.