[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 159 (Wednesday, September 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9047-H9052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1545
    RECOGNIZING THAT ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THE RIGHT TO VOTE 
         DIMINISHES THE VOTING POWER OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1077, I call 
up the resolution (H. Res. 1071) recognizing that allowing illegal 
immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the 
voting power of United States citizens, and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1077, the 
resolution is considered read.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1071

       Whereas voting is fundamental to a functioning democracy;
       Whereas the Constitution prohibits discrimination in voting 
     based on race, sex, poll taxes, and age;
       Whereas it is of paramount importance that the United 
     States maintains the legitimacy of its elections and protects 
     them from interference, including interference from foreign 
     threats and illegal voting;
       Whereas the city of San Francisco, California, is allowing 
     non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, to register to 
     vote in school board elections; and
       Whereas Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in 
     elections for Federal office: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes that 
     allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the 
     franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States 
     citizens.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution shall be debatable for 1 
hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Nadler) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on H. Res. 1071.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H9048]]

  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, which expresses 
the official position of the United States House of Representatives 
regarding the sanctity of the vote in our Federal system.
  The authors of America's founding documents extolled the necessity of 
voting to a free society. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the 
Declaration of Independence, believed that ``should things go wrong at 
any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise 
of their elective rights.''
  Jefferson also believed that ``the elective franchise, if guarded as 
the ark of our safety, will peaceably dissipate all combinations to 
subvert a constitution dictated by the wisdom, and resting on the will 
of the people.''
  James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution and 
contributor to the Federalist Papers said at the Constitutional 
Convention that he ``considered the popular election of one branch of 
the national legislature as essential to every plan of free 
government,'' and ``that the great fabric to be raised would be more 
stable and durable, if it should rest on the solid foundation of the 
people themselves.''
  Madison continued that: ``Under every view of the subject, it seems 
indispensable that the mass of citizens should not be without a voice 
in making the laws which they are to obey, and in choosing the 
magistrates who are to administer them.''
  Alexander Hamilton, another contributor to the Federalist Papers, 
wrote that: ``A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is 
exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of 
the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to 
stand foremost in the estimation of the law.''
  John Jay, the third and final contributor to the Federalist Papers 
believed: ``The Americans are the first people whom Heaven has favored 
with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing the forms of 
government under which they should live.''
  The Constitution prohibits discrimination in voting based on race, 
sex, poll taxes, and age. The sanctity of the vote is also part of the 
Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the subject.
  In the landmark case of Reynolds v. Sims, the Supreme Court stated: 
``The right of suffrage can be denied by a debasement or dilution of a 
weight of a citizen's vote just as effectively as by wholly prohibiting 
the free exercise of the franchise.''
  Voting is fundamental to a functioning democracy, and it is of 
paramount importance that the United States maintain the legitimacy of 
its elections and protect them from undue interference, including 
foreign threats and illegal voting.
  While the Constitution allows States and localities to grant 
noncitizens the right to vote in non-Federal elections, citizenship 
today denotes an association with America which uniquely encourages 
voting in furtherance of the well-being of other Americans and the 
sovereign nation to which they owe their allegiance.
  Consequently, it is very concerning to me that some localities have 
extended to noncitizens the right to vote in certain non-Federal 
elections, including school board elections.
  Extending voting rights to those who are not lawfully present in the 
United States acts as another incentive for foreign nationals to come 
to the United States illegally and stay. Instead of helping deter 
illegal behavior, jurisdictions such as San Francisco continue to 
implement policies that encourage such behavior. They do so to the 
detriment of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants alike.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for introducing this 
resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I oppose H. Res. 1071 because it is nothing more than a 
bald-faced political stunt concocted by the majority in an attempt to 
stir up its political base ahead of the midterm elections. It also 
represents just the latest in a long and cynical line of attempts by 
the majority to denigrate and delegitimize our Nation's immigrant 
population and to erode public trust in our electoral system, all to 
bolster short-term political gains.
  Let me start out by saying that I can't imagine someone in a foreign 
country deciding to emigrate to the United States in order to vote in a 
school board election. That is just absurd.
  But the resolution also falls short on its own merits. For example, 
the resolution states that it is ``of paramount importance that the 
United States maintains the legitimacy of its elections and protects 
them from interference, including interference from foreign threats.''
  I agree with the statement as far as it goes, but I question why the 
resolution makes no mention whatsoever of the greatest foreign threat 
of electoral interference, namely interference by Russia in an attempt 
to disrupt our democracy and sow chaos in our political an governmental 
system.

  It is the consensus view of our Nation's intelligence community that 
Russia interfered in the 2016 Presidential election in order to help 
Donald Trump become President. Indeed, senior administration officials 
warned just last month that Russia's attempts to interfere in our 
electoral system are ongoing and threaten the integrity of both the 
upcoming midyear elections and the 2020 Presidential election.
  At a minimum, the resolution should call attention to this fact. Yet, 
incredibly, the resolution makes absolutely no mention of it.
  The resolution also disrespects States' rights, failing to mention 
that the Constitution allows States and localities to permit noncitizen 
voting in local elections, a practice that dates to the earliest days 
of the Republic. For example, New York City permitted noncitizen voting 
in local school board elections until elections in local school boards 
were done away with in New York City about 20 years ago.
  Indeed, an earlier version of the resolution's text, obtained by the 
far-right Breitbart website, included the whereas clause acknowledging 
these facts stating: ``Whereas, the Constitution allows States and 
localities to grant noncitizens the right to vote in non-Federal 
elections.''
  Yet perhaps recognizing that this was something of an admission 
against interest, the introduced version does not include this clause.
  The fact of the matter is that local governments have permitted 
noncitizen voting in various local elections, school board elections, 
and so forth, through the entire history of the Republic. So why 
suddenly do we have this expression of terrible concern?
  The resolution also speaks to the fact that ``voting is fundamental 
to a functioning democracy.'' Yet, it fails to address any of the real 
threats to voting rights that our citizens face.
  Five years ago, the Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting 
Rights Act's preclearance requirement, the act's most important 
enforcement mechanism, in its decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The 
Court reached its conclusion notwithstanding Congress' factual findings 
in 2006 that the act, including its preclearance provision, was still 
needed in the face of continuing discrimination by some States against 
minority voters.

                              {time}  1600

  In response to the Court's decision, and under Republican control, 
States that had been subject to the act's preclearance requirement 
wasted no time in pursuing voting restrictions that once again 
threatened to undermine the voting rights of African Americans and 
other racial and ethnic minority groups.
  These measures included voter identification requirements, 
restriction or elimination of early voting or same day registration, 
and bans on ex-offenders from voting, all of which makes it 
disproportionately harder for racial and ethnic minorities to vote.
  These restrictions, enacted by Republican legislatures, have probably 
deprived hundreds of thousands--or even several million--of our fellow 
citizens of the right to vote. They are the real threat to our 
democracy, not the few noncitizens who may vote in a school board 
election in some local government that has permitted it through the 
last 100 years.
  Members have introduced various proposals to address these continuing 
attempts by certain States and localities to suppress voters. For 
example, H.R. 12, the Voter Empowerment Act,

[[Page H9049]]

which was introduced by Representative  John Lewis and has 183 
cosponsors, would reinforce the constitutional right to vote.
  The bill includes, among other things, provisions to make it easier 
to register to vote and to prohibit and criminally punish voter 
suppression tactics like caging, voter intimidation, and the provision 
of false and deceptive voting information. The bill would also restore 
voting rights for nonviolent felons after they have served their 
sentences.
  H.R. 2978, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was introduced by 
Representative Terry Sewell and has 192 cosponsors, is a direct 
response to the Supreme Court's invitation to Congress articulated in 
the Shelby County decision to revise section 4 of the Voting Rights 
Act. The bill would amend the Voting Rights Act to protect voters by 
requiring States with a recent history of voter discrimination to seek 
approval from the Department of Justice before making any changes to 
their electoral laws.
  Finally, H.R. 5011, the Election Security Act, which was introduced 
by Representative Bennie Thompson and has 122 cosponsors, would 
designate election infrastructure as critical infrastructure and 
provide financial support and enhanced security for the infrastructure 
to carry out elections so we are not subject to foreign invasion by 
hackers.
  These measures each address critical threats to our electoral system 
and the right to vote, yet none of them has received a hearing or other 
consideration by the House.
  It is a travesty that the Republicans have chosen to spend what is 
likely to be the last week of session before the midterm elections to 
consider this purely symbolic measure. They refuse to consider bills 
that would actually help ensure the right to vote but will consider 
this purely symbolic measure, one that in itself seeks to stoke the 
worst kinds of sentiments in the body politic, instead of devoting time 
to considering and passing meaningful and substantive protections for 
the right to vote and to protect us from foreign interference in our 
electoral system. I cannot support this travesty.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader and chief author of this 
legislation.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution condemning San 
Francisco for allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.
  I want you to imagine for 1 minute that you are an immigrant to this 
country. You came here the right way. You followed all the rules. And 
after years of anticipation, after improving your English, passing your 
citizenship test, declaring your allegiance to the United States and 
renouncing your allegiance to foreign powers, finally, you are 
naturalized as an American citizen.
  In that moment, you undergo a change. You have known many leaders in 
the past, but in that moment George Washington is your Founding Father. 
You have experienced many hardships, but suddenly Valley Forge is your 
winter. The Declaration is your inspiration, and the Constitution is 
your inheritance. Lincoln is your liberator. Electricity, skyscrapers, 
and flight are your heritage. The GIs of D-day are your heroes. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., spoke of your dreams. The Moon bears your flag, and 
our future is your future.
  Imagine, again, that you are this immigrant. What do you feel the 
first time you step into a polling place?
  Actually, we don't need to imagine, because we know of so many 
naturalized citizens who have come here, played by the rules, and 
earned their citizenship. I have talked to many of these Americans. 
They describe casting their first vote as one of the proudest moments 
of their lives. In that moment, they are reminded that they have become 
Americans, with all the rights and responsibilities of Americans.
  Unfortunately, a handful of cities in our country are short-
circuiting the legal path to citizenship. In the process, they are 
devaluing the very concept of citizenship itself.
  These cities--Chicago, Cambridge, and, most recently, San Francisco--
allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. That includes illegal 
immigrants who broke our laws when they entered our country.
  And not only that, noncitizen voting actually dilutes the votes and 
voices of law-abiding Americans, including naturalized citizens. If you 
are an American citizen in one of these cities, your vote in local 
elections counts less now than it did before. You can thank your local 
politicians for that.
  But that isn't my ultimate concern with noncitizens voting. 
Ultimately, I am concerned about the message that this practice sends 
about American citizenship itself.
  Ask yourself: Does the concept of citizenship mean anything? Does it 
grant a person special consideratio in the eyes of our government? Does 
it impose upon him or her special duties or obligations?

  Sadly, too many of our elites and even our politicians have trouble 
answering these questions. But for the rest of us, American citizenship 
still resonates as a source of significance, purpose, and identity.
  We know that citizenship has a meaning, that borders have a purpose, 
and that sovereignty is an imperative. Precisely because we believe 
these things, we have to look out for our fellow Americans while 
guarding our elections against all outside interference. That is why I 
have introduced a resolution condemning efforts to allow noncitizens to 
vote in our elections.
  American citizenship means something special. Just ask any 
naturalized citizen. They will tell you about it.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with me in protecting the right to vote 
for every American citizen of legal age and rejecting all outside and 
foreign interference in our elections.
  Citizenship means something. It means something to become an 
American. And today, I hope this body understands that and stands 
united in condemning a devaluing of citizenship.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), ranking member of the Crime, Terrorism, 
Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the ranking member for his 
leadership and commitment to working on real voter empowerment 
legislation. Let me acknowledge and thank the chairman of the full 
committee, Mr. Goodlatte, and seek an opportunity to really work on 
legislation that addresses the question.
  I have looked at it, and I have no doubt that my friends on the other 
side of the aisle are sincere. I read the resolution, and I noted that 
one particular example was utilized, Mr. Speaker. The example happens 
to be in San Francisco, California.
  I live in Houston and my colleague lives in New York. I know that if 
this was a moment of crisis, we would see Members from the 50 States--
at least 20 States, 35 States--bringing this to the attention of the 
Judiciary Committee. To date, I have had no complaint from Houston or 
the State of Texas.
  But I do know, when I engage in dialogue with my constituents, they 
are all aware of the Russian interference in the 2016 election and the 
constant pounding of emails and the leaks that occurred and the attack 
on the DNC. Everybody is aware of that.
  To my knowledge--help me, those of my colleagues who are on the 
floor--we have not passed one single legislative initiative or crime 
bill that addresses the question of preventing Russian interference. We 
are now at the end of the first crunch of this year of legislation.
  So I would ask my colleagues, if they are so concerned about voting, 
would they help us add back to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, in which 
Dr. King marched and our colleague,  John Lewis, was beaten almost to 
his death, bleeding on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and restore section 5?
  Section 5 might even help with this issue, because section 5 provides 
preclearance to any voting procedure that any State may have that would 
be unfair and discriminatory. If my colleagues want to argue anything, 
they can argue that the main bill that they should be putting forward 
is a restoration of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

[[Page H9050]]

  We have found throughout the States that we do have violations. We 
have voter ID laws that are discriminatory. We have voter suppression. 
We have people being purged off of lists. Interestingly enough, they 
happen to be poor people, African Americans and Hispanic citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this legislation. I don't like 
legislation that is ``gotcha'' legislation. I have great respect for my 
friend from California. I, frankly, believe it is a State matter--it is 
really a city matter--that could be handled by those who are concerned.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan of Tennessee). The time of the 
gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Texas an 
additional 30 seconds.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I see that, for the national question 
of voter empowerment, there is a litany of laws still waiting for this 
body to pass: voter security, the ballot security, the question of our 
voting machines, the question of the individuals with the hanging 
chads, the right kind of voting machines and equipment, and, again, to 
protect people against purging legitimate registered voters off the 
registration list. I have faced that in Texas.
  I have the Justice Department on notice. I would like to say 
publicly: Department of Justice, get back to me on that request that I 
made about being purged in Texas.
  For all these reasons, I think we are going in the wrong direction, 
Mr. Speaker, and I would like us to put back on the floor section 5 of 
the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
Leader McCarthy's resolution recognizing that allowing illegal 
immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the 
voting power of United States citizens.
  I have been deeply concerned, seeing more and more municipalities 
around the country starting to allow noncitizens and illegal immigrants 
the right to vote in local elections, the most current example being 
San Francisco, as they have started allowing both noncitizens and 
illegal immigrants to register to vote in school board elections.
  One day it is local elections; the next, it could be statewide 
elections; and then, finally, the Federal elections. We can't start 
down this path. But we know this is where the radical left wants to 
grow their electorate.

  For generations, brave men and women have fought and died in order to 
protect the fundamental right of American citizens to participate in 
free and fair elections. You and I can't go and vote in the elections 
of other nations, nor should we.
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) can't vote in New Jersey or 
Pennsylvania because he isn't a citizen of New Jersey or Pennsylvania. 
He is a citizen of New York. Nor should he vote in those elections.
  When we start granting others the sacred right reserved for U.S. 
citizens, it puts our whole democratic process at risk and diminishes 
the voice of the American people. We simply can't allow noncitizens and 
illegal immigrants to water down the desires and visions of the 
American people at the voting booth. This is dangerous, and it 
disrespects the importance and value of citizenship that has been 
fought for throughout our Nation's history.
  Now more than ever, it is critical that we ensure only American 
citizens are casting ballots to determine our children's future in this 
country. The left continues to embrace deadly sanctuary cities, more 
illegal immigrants at the voting booth, and open border policies that 
simply do not fall in line with American values.

                              {time}  1615

  These ideas are so far out of mainstream and continue to be rejected 
time and time again by the American people of this country who want 
their voice to count.
  This resolution is a critical step to stand up and protect our 
democratic process. And while I stand here 100 percent supportive of my 
good friend's resolution, I believe this is laying the groundwork for 
what is to come. We have work to do.
  I believe we must defund these communities that adopt policies like 
noncitizen and illegal immigrant voting. These voting policies do 
nothing more than foster more of the dangerous, illegal sanctuary city 
policies that we have seen around the country. These sanctuary policies 
promote illegal activity, undermine law enforcement, and suppress 
concerns of actual U.S. citizen voters.
  I encourage all Members to support the commonsense resolution to 
protect the integrity of the American elections and protect the value 
of U.S. citizen voting power. Let's protect the voting booth. Let's 
protect the rule of law. Let's protect American values. Let's always 
put America first.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Swalwell), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, it appears the stated reason 
for this resolution, listening to my colleague who just spoke from 
South Carolina, is the rule of law, integrity, upholding our democracy, 
all things that I think people on both sides of the aisle support and 
can get behind.
  But, when you read the resolution, you would also think that we have 
a nationwide problem of undocumented immigrants voting and influencing 
our election. I would expect that, if that is the case, the sponsors of 
this legislation would introduce evidence that shows this widespread 
problem. I would hope that they are not relying upon the bogus, false 
claim that Donald Trump put forward that there are undocumented 
voters--3 million of them, he said--which has been panned and rebuked 
by every expert in the country.
  I would hope they are not relying on the voting rights commission 
that Donald Trump put in place after the election that could best be 
compared to an airplane that is still at the gate with a lot of 
maintenance problems and is probably never, ever going to get off the 
ground.
  There is zero evidence to support this resolution. But you know who 
did interfere in our last election; you know who did seek to influence 
the American voter? The Russians.
  You know who does not care about the rule of law? The Russians.
  Do you know who does not care about integrity at the ballot box? The 
Russians.
  Our intelligence community unanimously concluded--unanimously, across 
the board--that the Russians sought to interfere and influence the last 
election. So I thought, well, if my colleagues across the aisle are 
interested in addressing integrity at the ballot box, they would accept 
an amendment that would also condemn what the Russians did.
  They will not accept that amendment, and I would yield to my 
colleagues if they were open to accepting that amendment and showing 
the American people that they truly are interested in protecting the 
integrity of the ballot box.
  After this attack on our elections, I put forward legislation with 
Elijah Cummings to have an independent commission look back at our 
better days where, after September 11, Republicans and Democrats on the 
House stairs united and sang ``God Bless America'' but also came 
together, worked together, and used unity as an antidote against an 
adversary's attack. Only two Republicans have signed on to that bill.
  I thought on the Intelligence Committee we could look at who was 
responsible, how the Russians did this, identify U.S. persons who 
worked with the Russians, and tell the American people how this would 
never happen again. Instead, that investigation has been shuttered, and 
we learn almost every day from new indictments from the special 
counsel's investigation that there is evidence that U.S. persons worked 
with the Russians.
  I thought on the Judiciary Committee we would look at the government 
response to what the Russians were doing.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 
minute.
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. I thought on the Judiciary Committee we 
would look at some of these issues in our democracy. Instead, we have 
gone back in time and we have reopened and relitigated the Hillary 
Clinton emails.

[[Page H9051]]

  This resolution does nothing but divide Americans even further. It 
stokes an issue where there is no evidence of it even occurring, and it 
fails to address our true common enemy: any adversary, from any country 
who would seek to interfere in our election.
  Let's not miss this opportunity now to address that threat and unite 
and say we are not going to tolerate it.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs).
  Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Leader McCarthy for introducing this 
resolution.
  It is important to underscore how seriously we must take the right 
for American citizens to vote. Several cities have granted the right to 
vote in local elections to those who are not citizens of the United 
States. San Francisco is allowing illegal aliens and other noncitizens 
to vote in certain local elections.
  It is still illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections, and 
rightly so. Twelve States plus the District of Columbia allow illegal 
aliens to obtain driver's licenses, eight of them offering voter 
registration at the time of getting that license, popularly called the 
``motor voter laws.''
  It is easy to see how illegal voting can occur. Illegal voting does 
not have to be widespread or number in the millions for it to make a 
real impact on our elections. In Ohio alone, there were 199 races or 
issues that were tied or decided by just 1 vote in the last 5 years.
  Recent incidents of illegals attempting to vote in Federal elections 
have been in the news. Just last month, 19 foreign nationals were 
indicted in North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. 
In Ohio, seven were indicted for illegal voting in our elections.
  Voter fraud is a serious crime. We have to take the integrity of our 
elections seriously. It is not just a matter of simple mistakes or a 
handful of improper votes. These elections determine the direction and 
policies of our cities, States, and the Nation. We must recognize the 
effect that allowing illegal immigrants to vote has on our right as 
Americans to self-determination.
  Recently, I introduced the Ensuring American Voters Act, which would 
shore up potential gaps in our voter registration system like States 
that have the motor voter laws and give illegal aliens driver licenses.
  Typically, when you register to vote, you have to show proof of 
residency. More importantly, in my legislation you would have to show 
proof of citizenship. Some say this isn't a problem, but when you don't 
really require proof of citizenship, how do we know the extent of the 
problem?
  As the gentleman from California, Leader McCarthy, rightly says, it 
devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of American 
citizens. This is a commonsense resolution that emphasizes current 
Federal law, barring noncitizens from voting in Federal elections.
  A recent poll by Rasmussen shows nearly 70 percent of American people 
agree.
  I want to thank Leader McCarthy for introducing this legislation, and 
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Demings), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, let's discuss voting in America.
  Mr. Speaker, 53 years ago--I believe we all know it--Congress passed 
the Voting Rights Act to stop discriminatory practices which denied 
minorities the right to vote. Poll workers would ask people of color 
ridiculous questions like how many jelly beans are in a jar or use 
humiliating literacy tests and poll taxes to take away this 
constitutional right from good, decent people.
  Now here we go again. Because the President of the United States just 
can't accept the fact that he lost the popular vote, which he did, my 
Republican colleagues are using racial fears and dishonest words like 
``protecting our elections'' to encourage Americans to turn against 
each other.
  If my GOP colleagues want to protect our elections, they should join 
us in restoring the Voting Rights Act, which was gutted in 2013. If my 
Republican colleagues want to protect our elections, they should join 
us in passing legislation to protect the special counsel. But obviously 
the GOP feels that they can't win on their merits, so they will 
suppress the vote instead, change the rules, close polling places in 
Black and Latino communities, remove legitimate voters from voting 
rolls, pass laws like the one in North Carolina that targeted African 
Americans with--and I quote--surgical precision.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people are tired of the division and 
distractions from the White House and the GOP to turn us against our 
neighbors, especially along racial lines. And 53 years after the 
passage of the Voting Rights Act, the American people expect men and 
women of conscience to step up and refuse to repeat the mistakes of the 
past.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), a member of the committee.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, this bill does not come to the floor in a 
vacuum. The midterms are coming, and Republicans will try to pass 
whatever they can before they lose and pass the gavel to the new 
speaker.
  We know more indictments and guilty pleas are coming from Robert 
Mueller and his team.
  And we know Republicans are having a hard time defending tax cuts 
where 83 percent of the cuts went to the richest 1 percent and the rest 
of America got the leftovers.
  Don't forget the Republican agenda to systematically strip away 
healthcare coverage from American families who are struggling to make 
ends meet.
  No, the Republicans don't want to talk about tax breaks, 
billionaires, or foreign Russian alliances of this President, Trump. 
They want to talk about San Francisco and immigrants.
  Republicans will do anything to beat up on immigrants so that voters 
forget to beat up on Republicans who hold all the power. It is the 
oldest political hokey-doke trick in the book: Hey, look over there. 
Blame them, not us.
  It started with immigrants are rapists and murderers. Then it was 
immigrants are cheats and frauds. Then they said immigrants and their 
children deserve to be locked up. Then the President started pushing 
the biggest lie of all, that immigrants are a drain on the economy.
  The Attorney General, despite being humiliated--I mean humiliated--on 
a daily basis by this President is adopting a scorched earth, anti-
immigrant agenda to ensure as many deportations as he can before he 
gets the axe.
  The American people are smart enough to see through this smoke 
screen. They see how Republicans deal with a woman's claim of sexual 
assault. They understand their taxes are going up at the same time 
taxes on the Republicans' favorite people, that is to say, 
corporations, are going down.

  They get the message that the President opposes immigrant families, 
except when it comes to his wife and her ability to make her own family 
citizens of the United States of America. They understand Republicans 
are opposed to legal immigration, refugees, Dreamers, and TPS holders.
  Republicans are not interested in the kinds of immigrants or the 
kinds of average American families, for that matter, who wake up early 
every day and have to go to work. Nope. Not the people who work at Mar-
a-Lago, not the people who tend to the greens at Trump golf courses, 
not the people who clean rooms at Trump Tower.
  No, Republicans are not interested in people who work at Trump Tower, 
only the people who can afford to live there.
  Well, your time is up. The American people will make that real clear 
in a few weeks, regardless of how many of these resolutions you pass.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to be abundantly clear that this 
resolution is nothing more than a political stunt steeped in hypocrisy. 
The resolution states that it is ``of paramount importance that the 
United States maintains

[[Page H9052]]

the legitimacy of its elections and protects them from interference, 
including interference from foreign threats. . . .''
  Yet, the resolution does not even mention the greatest foreign threat 
we face: Russian interference intended to disrupt our elections and sow 
chaos in our political system.
  The hypocrisy is breathtaking. The chairman of the House Intelligence 
Committee and others have worked all year to undermine and discredit 
the Mueller investigation into Russian interference with our 2016 
election.

                              {time}  1630

  To add insult to injury, House Republicans have voted to block needed 
funding to help States secure their election systems from the ongoing 
Russian and other efforts to interfere in the 2018 elections, ongoing 
efforts that have been confirmed by senior administration officials.
  In short, this resolution ignores the real threats our elections are 
facing and, instead, plays political games by trying to stoke the worse 
kinds of sentiments in the body politic, all focused on local practices 
that are not sudden and not new but are as old as the Republic and 
suddenly pose a threat. I cannot vote for this charade.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very straightforward resolution that every 
Member of this House can and should vote for. It simply says: 
``Resolved, that the House of Representatives recognizes that allowing 
illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and 
diminishes the voting power of United States citizens.''
  When a United States citizen registers and votes, they expect their 
vote to be a full vote that counts. When someone who is not lawfully 
present in the United States is allowed to go into a polling place and 
vote, they dilute the votes of the United States citizens who are 
voting in that same election.
  Why not recognize that? Why not discourage that? Why not call it 
exactly what it is? The House of Representatives recognizes that 
allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise 
and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens. It is a very 
straightforward resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is simply a divisive 
political stunt meant to stir up conservative voters ahead of the 
midterm elections and seeks to stoke the worst kinds of sentiments in 
the body politic.
  The resolution states that it is ``of paramount importance that the 
United States maintains the legitimacy of its elections and protects 
them from interference, including interference from foreign threats.'' 
Yet the resolution does not even mention the greatest ``foreign 
threat'' we face--Russian interference intended to disrupt our 
elections and sow chaos in our political system. The GOP hypocrisy is 
breathtaking. The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and 
others have worked all year to undermine and discredit the Mueller 
investigation into the Russian interference with our 2016 election. 
Furthermore, House Republicans have voted to block needed funding to 
help states better secure their election systems from the ongoing 
Russian efforts to interfere in the 2018 election--ongoing efforts that 
have been confirmed by senior Administration officials. In short, this 
resolution ignores the real threats our elections are facing, and 
instead plays political games.
  The resolution also states that ``voting is fundamental to a 
functioning democracy,'' yet it fails to address any of the real 
threats to voting rights faced by U.S. citizens. After the conservative 
members of the Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act's 
pre-clearance requirement in Shelby County v. Holder, many states have 
sought to enact voting restrictions that target African Americans and 
other minority groups. This resolution says and does nothing about 
those actions.
  The resolution shows that Republican support for States' rights is 
trumped by anti-immigrant sentiment. An earlier version of the 
resolution obtained by Breitbart correctly stated that ``the 
Constitution allows States and localities to grant non-citizens the 
right to vote in non-Federal elections.'' This clause is no longer in 
the resolution, perhaps because Republicans understood how hypocritical 
it made them look, especially because the resolution is focused on 
condemning state and local ordinances regarding voting in non-federal 
elections.
  Putting this resolution on the floor is nothing but a political 
stunt, a game designed only for political advertising for the mid-term 
elections forty-three days from today.
  I refuse to play that cynical game with Republicans and will cast my 
vote as ``present'' in recognition of the fraudulent nature of these 
proceedings.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1077, the previous question is ordered 
on the resolution and the preamble.
  The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________