Prohibiting Voting By Noncitizens in District of Columbia Elections

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 192, an act to prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia, our Nation's Capital.

In reporting out H.R. 192, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability holds that Congress must act to exert its constitutional responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia and make certain necessary amendments to the District's law.

Since the voters entrusted Republicans with control of the House in the 118th Congress, the Oversight Committee has conducted long overdue oversight of our Nation's Capital City, including holding hearings on the District of Columbia.

Specifically, to the topic we are discussing today, the Oversight Committee held a joint hearing with the Committee on House Administration on election integrity in the District.

At that hearing, the committees examined the District government's Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, which allowed noncitizen residents to vote in D.C. local elections.

This act includes illegal immigrants and even foreign diplomats, whose interests may be opposed to the interests of Americans. This radical change to our election laws upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Madam Speaker.

D.C. Mayor Bowser withheld her signature on the Act, something she had done only a handful of times in her tenure.

On February 9, 2023, 260 Members of this House voted to overturn the D.C. act through a resolution of disapproval.

In that vote, 42 House Democrats voted to block the D.C. law.

However, the bipartisan resolution of disapproval was not considered in the Democratic-controlled Senate, so D.C.'s noncitizen voting law went into effect. This, in my opinion, and the opinion of many Americans across the country, is unacceptable.

The primary factor that differentiates American citizens from noncitizens is the right to vote.

D.C. residents should be confident that their local government vote is not being diluted by noncitizen residents or illegal immigrants casting votes.

Article I of the Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the Nation's Capital, and the rules of the U.S. House charge the Committee on Oversight and Accountability with a duty to oversee the municipal affairs of the District of Columbia.

I urge my colleagues to support Representative Pfluger's commonsense bill to ensure that only United States citizens have the right to vote in local D.C. elections and to support the repeal of D.C.'s radical law.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, my friend and colleague has mentioned in his opening statement that 500 noncitizens are registered to vote in D.C. My colleague is clever to point this out, but I am quite sure he is also aware that it has been estimated that 50,000 noncitizens are eligible to vote. As the election cycles move forward, they will no doubt consider registering and casting their vote should we not turn this law.

My colleague also mentioned the topic of representation in our Nation's Capital. As a constitutional scholar and professor, he is well aware that our Founders envisioned our Nation's Capital would necessarily develop a robust citizenry and that those residents would enjoy unique access to the Republic's elected and appointed highest officials, equaling a form of representation that no other citizenry in any other city of sovereign States would enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the author of this bill that we are considering today.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I have not heard my Democratic colleagues address the fact that even one noncitizen's vote will, in fact, dilute the votes of American citizens.

The gentlewoman mentioned Republicans' efforts to disrupt D.C. elections. Quite to the contrary, Madam Speaker. We seek to restore the integrity of D.C. elections. We stood in support of an American's right to have their vote fully counted, including, most certainly, in our Nation's Capital. When there are 50,000 potential noncitizen voters in the Nation's Capital poised to cast a vote, that is the disruption of the D.C. voting process for the American citizens of D.C., whom we do indeed care for, love, and hope to represent.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) to speak on this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew), my colleague.

Mr. VAN DREW. Madam Speaker, in what other country than Joe Biden's America can illegal immigrants waltz over an unsecure border?

In what other country can an illegal immigrant get immediate housing, free food, legal counseling, and free educational subsidies?

In what other country can illegal immigrants get free flights and bus rides and transportation to the city or the town of their choosing?

There is none that I know of. There is none that most Americans would know of. No country in the world would be stupid enough to allow so many unknown people, with unknown desires, with unknown intentions, to cross their border.

Why is our country the only one dumb enough to offer incentive after incentive to the millions of illegal immigrants pouring over our border every single year? To truly understand what is happening here, we have to see the big picture, and then we will realize the border policy that we have now isn't about bad policy or dumb policy. In fact, the policy is working exactly as the orchestrators want it to work.

The left knows they can flood this country with millions of people. If the left can promise those millions of people that the Democrats are the party that will feed them, will house them, will transport them, will educate them for free on the American taxpayer's back and that Republicans will take that away, then the Democrats can use the millions of illegal immigrants as political pawns to increase their power.

It is shameless. It is wrong. It is un-American. For years, conservatives have warned about this. We have warned about the left attempting to allow illegals to vote in elections, but it was made fun of. It was a joke. It would never happen. It was labeled, in fact, as a conspiracy theory. Yet, here we are. Here we are today. D.C., our Nation's own Capital, allowing illegal immigrants to vote in its local elections.

Yesterday's conspiracy, yesterday's conspiracy is today's reality.

I strongly support H.R. 192 to prohibit noncitizens from voting in elections here in D.C. This is a dangerous and bad precedent and an un- American attempt at gaining power, and it needs to be stopped here and it needs to be stopped now. We have to stand up.

If we allow illegal immigrants to vote in elections now, Madam Speaker, how long is it going to be before we are back on this floor attempting to stop a State from allowing illegal immigrants to vote in our Federal elections? American elections should be voted on by American citizens.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, H.R. 192, quite simply, prohibits noncitizens from voting in D.C. local elections and repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act. This is common sense.

Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee our Nation's Capital and H.R. 192 represents the exact role Congress should take in regard to the matters of the District's governance.

Under the United States Constitution, Congress is granted exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever regarding our Nation's Capital. We recognize, as my colleagues have stated, the jurisdictional authority within the municipality and the local elected officials of our Nation's Capital, but when those local elected officials take actions which are injurious to the operations of our Nation's Capital, then we have constitutional authority and, indeed, duty to respond. Hence, why in February of last year, 260 Members of this House voted to overturn the D.C. act in question as being repealed through this bill and in that vote, 42 House Democrats did, indeed, vote to overturn that D.C. law.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, my distinguished colleague has mentioned that it is already against the law for an illegal to cast a vote.

We understand this, but surely the gentleman knows that corruption is borne in the heart of man, not the mechanisms of man.

We have a duty and a responsibility as Members of this Congress to oversee the actions of the Nation's Capital City and it is our duty to mitigate against the violation of law.

We recognize that it is against the law for an illegal to cast a vote in a Federal election. We know this, but we also know that burglary is against the law, yet we have fences and gates and doors and locks. We mitigate against the actions of man, though, we know that some of those actions may be, indeed, against the law.

The existence of the statute itself does not overcome the corruption born in the heart of man. We have an obligation as a body to exercise our constitutional jurisdictional authority in the one municipality in the entire country that falls under that constitutional jurisdictional authority; that is, our Nation's Capital as the city whose laws we address today.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), my friend and colleague.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the author of the bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I express my sincere gratitude to my friend and colleague, Representative Raskin, for conducting this debate in a vigorous yet respectful manner. I am certain that he will agree that this is the manner in which our Founders envisioned we may debate.

The subject of congressional interaction, exercising constitutional authority within the parameters of our Nation's Capital municipality, is a legitimate discussion. It is part of our Nation's narrative and broad debate, and this is the body, Madam Speaker, wherein such debate should take place. I am hopeful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle may engage in this as we move forward in the spirit with which we have discussed and debated today.

Madam Speaker, D.C.'s noncitizen voting law does, indeed, disenfranchise American citizens. It is a dangerous policy that undermines the ability of the citizens of D.C. to have a free and fair election. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to prohibit those who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this necessary bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source