For the People Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the underlying bill. This legislation masquerades as a fix to the country's election concerns. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

This bill relaxes ethics requirements with a change in administration. It forces taxpayers to subsidize elections and election outreach. It compromises States' rights and leaves Washington as the arbiter of managing elections, which runs against the Constitution. It would limit free speech and weaken the First Amendment protections that everyone here holds in such high regard.

This legislation compromises State voter ID integrity laws and moves to roll back the important work that has been done in this space. It alters the Federal Election Commission's makeup and effectively limits any bipartisan consensus or work that can be done.

This isn't a bipartisan bill intended to unite the country and mend concerns about elections. No, this is another partisan package that was rushed to the floor and, subsequently, could have serious consequences for our constituents and our Nation.

This bill will weaken what many States are doing to improve election security and establishes a dangerous precedent for the involvement of Federal agencies in election issues.

For these reasons, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the underlying bill.

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