Ranking Member Morelle Opening Remarks at Hearing on Private Funding of Election Administration

Hearing

“Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Steil. Thank you for gathering us.

As I begin, I can’t resist pointing out the incredible role reversal we are hearing this morning:

For the first time that I can remember, Republicans are haranguing public servants for accepting philanthropic assistance that enhanced the efficiency and security of their official responsibilities.

What an extraordinary flip-flop.

This is the party that wants to privatize Social Security. This is the party that wants to privatize Medicare.

The Republican Study Committee—to which almost all the majority Members of this Committee belong—released a proposed budget last year that called for the privatization of transportation through Amtrak and of the Air Traffic Control functions of the FAA.

So, the majority’s alleged concern about charitable foundation financing in the realm of election administration is disingenuous, at best.

Of course, we all know the reason my colleagues across the aisle oppose this partnership: Because President Trump lost the 2020 election, fair and square, and the majority cannot and will not accept that fact.

That’s the reason we are here, using taxpayer funds for what is, by my count, this Committee’s 10th election-related hearing just this Congress—all to chase down debunked conspiracy theories.

We should be crystal clear—we are only here today, discussing this topic yet again, because of the endless tantrum the presumptive Republican nominee for president, his enablers in Congress, and his cronies in the right-wing media echo chamber continue to throw.

“They insist, with no evidence, that non-profit grants supporting the urgent public health needs of election officials in 2020—in the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic—was some nefarious partisan scandal and plot.

If there’s any scandal and plot here, it’s how pitiful public support for election administration is in this country.

This Committee has heard repeatedly from election administrators how critically they need additional funding to run safe and secure elections.

They have told us, time and again, about the significant costs of conducting the elections that define the very soul of this country.

Our elections; our democracy; our willingness to exchange views and ideas, to freely give voice to our passions and stand up for our convictions—our courage, when elections don’t go our way, to accept our losses with grace, humility, and an unwavering faith in the wisdom of voters and the strength of our shared national story—these are the things that make America truly great.

But shamefully, the majority in this Congress has turned a deaf ear to these American values and the public servants who uphold them.

This majority is attacking transparent, non-profit funding for election administration while doing nothing to stop the flow of billions of dollars of dark money that flood our politics and drown out the voices of everyday American voters.

It is our duty, as elected officials, to listen. We should listen to voters who are tired of the Big Lie. We should listen to our consciences. And we should listen to the officials who do the precious work of election administration.

We should labor together on their behalf. There is plenty of room for bipartisan agreement here.

We can give administrators the funding they need. We can bolster our election systems against foreign interference and the spread of mis- and disinformation. We can make it easier for every eligible voter to access and cast a meaningful ballot.

We can address the growing threat AI poses to the security of our elections. Just last week, we had a productive, bipartisan hearing on the issues and implications of AI on the legislative branch.

We have only just begun to imagine the possible consequences of AI in the elections space. The threat AI-generated election interference poses to the security of our democracy—and to public officials—is evident, as demonstrated by the subversive AI robocalls that targeted New Hampshire voters just last month.

Instead, we have again returned—predicably, tediously—to election denialism.

If my majority colleagues are serious about ensuring the sanctity of American elections, they should ensure the public servants who uphold our democracy are fully funded and properly supported, rather than once again wasting time amplifying another disproven and discredited conspiracy theory.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. I thank all of you for being here.

Thank you again, Mr. Chair. I yield back.”

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