157,000 call on Schumer’s Majority Forward to stop funding attacks on public health and environment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Friends of the Earth Action, CREDO Action and Climate Hawks Vote delivered over 157,000 petitions to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, calling on the Senate Democratic Leader to stop supporting attacks on our environment.

Recently, Majority Forward, a dark money group closely associated with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and affiliated super PAC Senate Majority PAC, purchased $4.5 million in advertising praising Sen. Joe Manchin (D –W.V.) for his attacks on clean water, according to reports from E&E News.

The ad, which aired in West Virginia, touts Manchin’s attacks on Obama-era regulations that protected public health and the environment. “When Washington proposed anti-coal regulations, Joe Manchin said ‘no,’” the ad boasts.

“This ad by Chuck Schumer’s people is dangerously out of step with the American people,” said Friends of the Earth Action Senior Political Strategist Ben Schreiber. “We need leaders who will stand up for public health and environmental values. Ads like this undermine the resistance to Trump.”

“Sen. Schumer and his allies should be engaging in total resistance against Trump, not providing cover for Sen. Manchin’s attacks on progressive values.” said CREDO Deputy Political Director Josh Nelson. “With Republicans in lockstep opposition to protecting people and the planet from dirty energy companies and all other progressive priorities, the last thing we need is for groups aligned with Democratic leaders to be defending the conservative positions of Democrats like Joe Manchin.”

“Joe Manchin is a coal DINO-saur (Democrat In Name Only), and Sen. Schumer needs to stop praising him for actions directly contrary to the Democratic Party’s platform,” said R.L. Miller with Climate Hawks Vote.

Expert contact: Ben Schreiber, (202) 222-0752, bschreiber@foe.org
Communications contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, ejensen@foe.org