Prohibiting Voting By Noncitizens in District of Columbia Elections

Floor Speech

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. I couldn't agree more with the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 192. This is another condescending Republican attempt to do three really specific things: Meddle in local D.C. elections; disfranchise Black and Brown voters who are fully capable of governing themselves, by the way; and eroding the trust of Americans in our Federal elections.

In the 118th Congress alone, Republicans have introduced 17 bills to overturn D.C.'s election laws, but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have refused to do the one thing that the residents of D.C. have asked for, and that is equal representation through statehood.

In the Republican tradition of undermining elections, the majority is pushing this bill while the primary elections in D.C. are underway.

Let's be clear: It is all intentional to stoke fear among voters and raise false alarms around the integrity of D.C.'s voting process. H.R. 192 is another sorry Republican effort to continue to carry on this baseless MAGA narrative about noncitizens affecting the outcomes of Federal elections.

Let's put this into context. A 2016 study of our Federal elections found only 0.001 percent of votes cast were cases of suspected, not proven, noncitizen voting. Even the former President's appointed commission to investigate his claims of voter fraud by noncitizens was disbanded without identifying one single case.

In the meantime, a third of working-age Americans are living through crushing medical debt, families are spending up to 75 percent of their income on rent and utilities, and scientists agree that the climate crisis may cost 14.5 million deaths by 2050. Yet, here we are again.

Madam Speaker, we need to stop entertaining legislation based on Republican lies. There are real problems that need to be addressed and comprehensive solutions.

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