(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Democratic Members of the Committee on House Administration released the following statement regarding the Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill that passed the House Committee on Appropriations today.

From Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.):

“We are shocked that House Republicans failed to appropriate a single dollar for states’ election security in the bill passed by the House Committee on Appropriations today. Earlier this year, we asked the Committee to appropriate $1.2 billion to help states secure their voting systems against future attacks. Yet two years after Russia’s sweeping attack on our political democracy, and despite repeated warnings – including a new admonition from Special Counsel Robert Mueller just yesterday that election meddling operations by Russia are still occurring – House Republicans have inexplicably refused to act. Instead of taking this threat seriously today, Republicans appropriators unanimously voted down an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Quigley to provide much-needed funds for states to protect against another attack on our elections.

“Earlier this year we were proud to have secured $380 million to help states upgrade their voting systems, but that alone is not enough. The Election Security Task Force reports that states will need an additional $1.2 billion to secure their systems and replace outdated voting equipment that is most vulnerable to hacking.

“House Republicans have repeatedly disregarded the threats to American electoral democracy. Last year, Democrats from 18 states targeted by Russian hackers in 2016 urged House Speaker Paul Ryan to hold hearings on election security. Unfortunately, not a single full committee hearing has been held in the House of Representatives. More than 100 House Democrats cosponsored the Election Security Act, a bill to provide states with the resources they need to secure their election infrastructure. Again, not a single Republican has offered to cosponsor this legislation.

“With the 2018 midterms already underway, there is no time to waste. We urge our Republican colleagues to immediately appropriate the critical election security funding that states need in the 2019 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill and to bring the Election Security Act to the House floor for a vote. Congress must recognize that an attack on any state’s electoral infrastructure is a direct threat to democracy in all of America.”

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