By Rhonda Robinson Taylor
November 5, 2029
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a first-of-its-kind gesture, the leaders of all three branches of the U.S. government recorded a video urging the ratification of progressive-backed constitutional amendments following the Senate’s approval yesterday.
“This is a new country, but with the same aspirations: equal rights, a clean environment, fair taxation, reproductive freedom, and protections for our immigrant neighbors,” said House Speaker Joe Neguse, D-Colo., standing beside President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Talk to your family. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Organize in your communities for the biggest transformational change to our founding document in generations,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
The 11 constitutional amendments approved by the House of Representatives last month, and now the Senate, would do the following:
- Require Congress to refer future amendments for a national popular vote
- Recognize a right to reproductive freedom
- Replace the Senate with a larger, appointed body with limited legislative and investigatory powers
- Establish the right to clean air and water
- Require a minimum tax rate for the wealthy
- Enlarge the House of Representatives and cap district sizes at 300,000 residents
- Enact the Equal Rights Amendment, with added protections for the LGBTQ+ population
- Expand the rights of noncitizens to due process and equal protection in immigration proceedings
- Require federal and state governments to consider climate change impacts of major policy decisions
- End qualified immunity for federal employees
- Begin transitioning the government to a parliamentary system
Chief Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also appeared in the video, although she avoided advocating for or against the amendments.
“Amending the Constitution is an awesome power, and so is the task of interpreting its guarantees,” she said. “Whatever the final outcome, our court will faithfully work to ensure the meaning of the Constitution is applied fairly and justly for all.”
The amendments now head to state legislatures for ratification.
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