OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

For the People Act of 2021

Floor Speech

Date: March 2, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Elections

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. TENNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, the so-called For the People Act.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are touting this sweeping legislation as a win for transparency and election integrity. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This bill is an attempt to destroy democracy by federalizing aspects of U.S. elections constitutionally delegated to the States. It would prohibit commonsense voter ID rules, encourage ballot harvesting, require no-excuse absentee and early voting, permit felons and noncitizens to vote, and make colleges and universities trusted voter registration agencies.

I know firsthand the need for election reform and the consequences of elections run without transparency and oversight. I was sworn into office over 30 days late, after an exhaustive 100-day postelection count in the race for New York's 22nd Congressional District. In the run-up to the 2020 election, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo rushed through a series of executive orders that mirrored many of the policies the Democrats are now proposing in H.R. 1. The result was one of the most poorly run elections in the entire Nation. It was a disgrace to our system of government.

If H.R. 1 had become law, I can confidently say it would have been virtually impossible to conduct a fair and transparent race. New York's election debacle reveals H.R. 1's real-world consequences.

If this legislation had been adopted, the errors exposed in my race wouldn't be the exception. It would have been bureaucratic chaos and that would have been the norm.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, it is clear we need reforms to restore confidence in our elections, but what my Democratic colleagues are proposing would dramatically change election law. The American people are demanding a commonsense framework for election reform that strengthens security without compromising integrity.

Congress should focus on delivering results to the American people, not perpetuating their own power at an irreversible and grave cost to our democratic principles.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward