On Tuesday, February 14, the Fed Up campaign held a rally with members of its coalition and concerned members of the public before Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s congressional testimony. Partners in attendance included One Pennsylvania, Make the Road Action, New York Communities for Change, SPACES, Action NC, and MORE. During the rally, community members dressed as Donald Trump and as a Goldman Sachs swamp monsters to illustrate how the Financial CHOICE Act would crash the economy and stop the Fed from pursuing full employment.

During the rally, which was held inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building, coalition members discussed how the proposed Financial CHOICE Act undermines workers’ ability to get the wages and jobs they need, as well as its potential to lead the U.S. economy to another devastating financial crisis. Maria Rubio of Make the Road NY spoke of her life as an immigrant and a domestic worker. Tyrone Ferguson of One Pennsylvania spoke of how he lost his home due to the last financial crash.

The Fed Up coalition brings the voices of working families and communities of color to economic policymakers at the Federal Reserve and in Congress. The coalition urges policymakers to focus on full employment and communities left behind by the recovery from the financial crisis.

If enacted, the Financial CHOICE Act will lay the groundwork for further corporate control over the Federal Reserve and undermine the full employment mandate. This combination of deregulation and interference with the Federal Reserve would mean millions of jobs lost, lower wages, and devastation for workers.

Check out photos and video from the rally on the CPD and CPD Action Twitter feeds.