[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 11, 2021

  Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I am proud to have worked side-by-side with 
President Trump to enact historic tax reform, free and fair trade with 
Mexico and Canada, the repeal of the ObamaCare mandate and taxes, a ban 
on surprise medical bills, and the first reform of the IRS in two 
decades. His policy achievements have lifted working families across 
America.
  Distrust in America's election system has been growing for two 
decades and is only growing worse. That is the true threat to 
democracy. For that reason, I gave unwavering support for President 
Trump to pursue all legal avenues and investigations. On December 10, 
2020, I joined 125 of my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representatives in signing the Amicus Brief to the Texas petition to 
the Supreme Court of the United States. The Texas suit presented 
election irregularities and advocated the Court hold states accountable 
for following their own election laws. Unfortunately, the Court refused 
to review the case.
  Due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, I am unable to participate in today's 
proceedings in the U.S. House. If I were, I would remain true to the 
conservative Constitutional principles of states' rights, limited 
Congressional power over presidential elections, and the Electoral 
College by accepting the Electoral College votes as legally certified 
by each state.
  Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment are clear. As 
angry as we may be about this election, we do even more harm if we 
weaken the Constitution, allow Congress to seize more power to choose 
future presidents, and undermine the Electoral College.
  If either party in Congress can simply ignore the elected slate of a 
state for political reasons, aren't we replacing 150 million votes with 
535 in Congress? Doesn't that change ``We the People'' to ``We the 
Congress''? Democrats in the past have blatantly attempted to overturn 
elections in Congress and seize more of this electoral power for 
Congress. It was a violation of the Constitution then, and remains so 
today.
  I deeply respect my fellow Republicans who see this issue 
differently.
  I worry that if we help undermine the Electoral College out of 
frustration and anger, we lend fuel to the liberal national popular 
vote scheme, inevitably we will one day stand on the sidelines as 
voters in only the largest cities determine our President.
  Our nation's founders rejected this as dangerous to our nation's 
governance. I do too.
  The Electoral College ensures we have a President who is accountable 
to all the nation, and can be a Republican, a conservative, or a 
grassroots outsider if America so chooses.

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