Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to another big lie bill, this one H.R. 8281.

Mr. Speaker, we know that elections are the cornerstone of American democracy, and it is our duty as Congress Members to protect every American's constitutional right to vote.

The threat to Americans' constitutional right to vote today is the Republican Party and H.R. 8281. In the long and consistent Republican tradition of disenfranchising voters, the majority is pushing H.R. 8281 while simultaneously underfunding our election's infrastructure to safeguard free and fair elections.

In their desperation to roll back the clock to a time when women, people of color, and naturalized citizens couldn't vote, Republicans have introduced countless bills based on mis- and disinformation to erode the American people's trust in our elections and democratic institutions.

Here is the bottom line: H.R. 8281 does nothing to make our elections safer. It only perpetrates lies now to set up even bigger lies later when Republicans are unhappy with the outcome of the November election.

How do I know that? The majority's own former President's appointed commission to investigate claims of voter fraud by noncitizens was disbanded without identifying one single case. If we believe in the power of democracy, we should reject discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division and instead increase protections and access.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans call this bill the SAVE Act. It should be called the don't let Americans vote act, and so I rise here opposing and asking my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

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