Election Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, the threat of foreign interference in our elections is real. Our intelligence chiefs are sounding the alarm that Russia views the 2018 election as a target for additional interference. And finally, yesterday, President Trump at last acknowledged Russian meddling and vowed to guard against it, saying: ``We won't allow that to happen.''

But, Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words, and time and time again, this administration has proven unwilling to confront this threat. We learned this week that the State Department is not using any of the resources they have been given to counter election interference. U.S. Cyber Command Chief Admiral Mike Rogers said the President has not granted him authority to disrupt Russian hacking operations. And we are still waiting on the administration to impose sanctions on Russia passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in this Congress.

This isn't a future concern. Americans voted in Texas primaries yesterday, and they are already heading to the polls in my State, Illinois, where early voting began on Monday.

I urge the administration to get serious about this threat and support funding for the Election Assistance Commission and resources for State election officials on the front lines of this battle. This is not a partisan issue. It is about protecting our democracy and ensuring the integrity of every American's vote.

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