In the midst of all the Washington noise over debt ceilings and deficits, federal budgets, and continuing resolutions, it’s hard for people to believe that their voice makes a difference. As the Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, I’m here to tell you that it does - and that especially this summer, during one of the most historic fights in our fiscal history - it did.

When Republicans called for a budget that would have ended Medicare as we know it, made catastrophic cuts to Medicaid, cut investments in education by 25%, clean energy by 70% and infrastructure spending by 30% - voices from around the country made clear they did not support this direction for our country.

In between your full-time job, cooking dinners, shuttling kids to birthday parties, and caring for ailing family members (just to name a few of the things that keep us all, myself included, a little sleep-deprived), you made your voices heard by attending town hall meetings, posting hundreds of blogs and sharing thousands of Tweets. Make no mistake – the chorus of your collective voices made a profound impact on protecting programs and investments in our future we care about.

Tonight the President will lay out his plan to put America back to work.  If you agree with President Obama’s vision – don’t stay silent. We know how hard you worked this summer, and we know how busy you’ll be this fall, but if you want to see Washington put politics aside, and pass the President’s jobs plan – then let us hear from you.

Jon Carson is Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement.