Voting Rights Act

Floor Speech

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I stand here today to remark on the Supreme Court's terrible decision to roll back one of the most effective safeguards to Americans' fundamental right to vote. The Court's decision ignores the current reality that voter suppression is alive and well in the United States. We saw indisputable evidence of its presence just last year. We saw attempts to implement discriminatory and unnecessary voter ID laws. We saw attempts to shorten early vote periods that have had a significant impact on minority voters.

The ball is now in Congress' court. The Senate Judiciary Committee is already taking action to restore essential protections for minority voters, and I call on Speaker Boehner to exercise true leadership in the House.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is our watch, and we must guard our rights for ourselves and for generations yet unborn. We must act swiftly and decisively in a bipartisan manner as we did in 2006 to create a new formula to ensure that the Voting Rights Act can continue to be a powerful tool to protect voters from discrimination.

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