[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 126 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5074-S5075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ELECTION SECURITY

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, we all know that yesterday former 
Special Counsel Mueller testified before two House committees. I 
believe it was crucial for the American people to hear straight from 
Robert Mueller's mouth that the President was not--underline ``not''--
exonerated by his report, despite what the President claims. It is 
utterly amazing. Mueller says something, and the President says the 
exact opposite to the media. We have never had a President who has lied 
so often. He knows what Mueller said, but he thinks he can dupe people 
when he says it, and I hope it is not true.
  It is important for the American people to hear straight from Robert 
Mueller's mouth that the President is not telling the truth when he 
claims that Mueller found no obstruction. Mueller did not. Anyone who 
watched the hearing saw it. It was as plain as could be, but that is 
not the subject of my remarks today.
  My remarks are about election security. Above all, it was important 
for all of us to hear straight from Robert Mueller's mouth that the 
threat from Russia and other foreign adversaries seeking to meddle in 
our elections was very real and still very much ongoing.
  When asked about Russian interference in our democracy, Mr. Mueller 
responded:

       It wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit 
     here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign.

  Leader McConnell, let me read you those sentences, if you care about 
America. Mueller said about Russian interference:

       It wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit 
     here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign.

  He went on to say that many more countries were developing 
capabilities similar to what Russia has. He reminded members of the 
House Intelligence Committee that Russian fake images reached nearly 
126 million people on Facebook alone.
  As if it even needed to be spelled out, Mr. Mueller added: ``Much 
more needs to be done in order to protect against these intrusions, not 
just by the Russians but by others as well.''
  Mueller's testimony was a clarion call for election security. 
Mueller's testimony should be a wake-up call to every American--
Democrat, Republican, liberal, and conservative--that the integrity of 
our elections is at stake and to be manipulated by a foreign power.
  This is all about the future of this country. If we lose faith in our 
electoral process, democracy begins to walk away from us, and we will 
be a different country than the glorious country we have been since 
1789. Yet our Republican colleagues put their heads in the sand.
  Donald Trump, as usual, with his enormous self-ego, doesn't want to 
admit the Russians interfered--even though he encouraged it publicly--
because he feels it will cast some illegitimacy on his election. The 
election is over. He is President. I wish he weren't. But that is not 
the issue here.
  The issue is the future of our democracy. And our Republican 
colleagues, who, once again, either are afraid of President Trump or, 
even worse, seeking advantage from Russian interference, are keeping 
their heads in the sand.
  We have tried. We have worked with our Republican colleagues to craft 
several bipartisan bills--Democrats and Republicans alike--to safeguard 
our election infrastructure and deter any foreign adversary from 
targeting our democracy in 2020. We have asked the Republican majority 
on the Appropriations Committee to devote more resources to harden 
their election systems but to no avail.
  Leader McConnell has refused to bring these bills to the floor. 
Republicans have rebuffed our request for additional appropriations 
this year. Election security goes into McConnell's legislative 
graveyard, even though it should be the most nonpartisan of issues.
  He has refused--refused--to let us consider anything, using his power 
as majority leader. And he is backed up by every single Republican who 
is complicit in not stopping the Russians, as Putin seeks to stretch 
his long arm and delve into the sacred process of how we elect our 
officials.
  What could possibly be the downside of ensuring our elections are 
fair and

[[Page S5075]]

free from foreign interference? Why would Leader McConnell and every 
one of our Republican colleagues, who now have failed to step up to the 
plate even though some of them work with our colleagues on bills, 
ignore the admonitions of the Founding Fathers, who said that foreign 
interference is a grave danger to democracy? What could be the downside 
of ensuring our elections are fair and free? I ask that question of 
Leader McConnell.
  The only excuse I have heard is he says that additional action isn't 
necessary. Well, Mr. Mueller, who has done far more investigative work 
on this than just about anybody else, cleared up all of that yesterday. 
He didn't say we have done enough already. He didn't say we are on top 
of it. He said that much more needs to be done.
  Leader McConnell, do you disagree? Is Mueller wrong? Are all the 
experts wrong--the FBI, appointed by President Trump; the NSA, 
appointed by President Trump; and all those leaders who say we need to 
do more? We have heard them.
  We are going to continue our fight for election security. We are not 
going to let Leader McConnell put the bills passed by the House into 
his legislative graveyard without a fight. You are going to hear from 
us on this issue over and over again.
  The legislative graveyard of Leader McConnell is known from one end 
of the country to the other. Americans know he doesn't want to help 
them. He doesn't want to help middle-class Americans.
  The graveyard of our Republican colleagues, in obeisance to powerful 
and special interests, gets larger, more stunning, and more 
debilitating to this country every day.
  Yesterday, Democratic Senators requested unanimous consent to pass 
some election security legislation that they have worked on, much of 
which was bipartisan. The Republican majority blocked them. Soon--I 
believe in about an hour--I will be asking unanimous consent on the 
House-passed election security bill. It is sitting here. It is in the 
leader's drawer. Is he going to let this go to the legislative 
graveyard? We will see in an hour. I hope at least one of my Republican 
colleagues will come to the floor and urge that we vote on this or at 
least debate it and amend it--one.

  The Republican leader's intransigent resistance to this effort is 
inexplicable. Why he wants to put election security in his legislative 
graveyard is impossible to explain on a logical basis. I believe his 
intransigence and his resistance are untenable.
  When I move in about an hour for unanimous consent to bring the House 
bill to the floor, maybe something will be chirping in some of the 
brains of some of my colleagues here and say: We can't allow the 
Russians to interfere, and we have to do something.
  If they don't agree with what the House passed, let them propose 
amendments or let them propose an alternative, but let us debate. This 
is a national security issue of paramount importance.
  I urge my friend the leader to stand down and let election security 
come to the floor. If he doesn't, all of America will know, when Russia 
interferes, why.

                          ____________________