[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2467-S2468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           For the People Act

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, they did it in a closed room. No one in 
the public was allowed to watch. They did it by a voice vote so that 
there would be no physical record of how individual Congressmen--how 
they voted. And they decided to remove a Member of the Republican 
leadership in the House of Representatives this morning in that 
fashion. These proud, courageous disciples of Donald Trump didn't want 
to be on the record publicly as to where they stood on the fate of 
Congresswoman Cheney.
  This is the same Congresswoman Cheney who was reelected to leadership 
in the House just a few weeks ago. This is the same Congresswoman 
Cheney who is one of the most ideologically conservative Members of the 
House. She voted with President Trump nearly 93 percent of the time 
while she was in office. With a name like Cheney, it is hard to 
question her Republican credentials.
  No, the decision, in private, in secret this morning by a voice vote, 
was not about a disagreement over policy but the issue as to whether or 
not Liz Cheney dares to tell the truth.
  She refused to defend or ignore the big lie that the 2020 election 
was stolen from Donald Trump, and in today's Republican Party, it seems 
like that is all that is necessary for grounds for removal.
  More than 6 months after the 2020 election was held, it is clear that 
the big lie has been spread in a big way. And that lie is not just a 
threat to the future of the Republican Party, it is a threat to our 
democracy.
  Since the start of this year, Republican State legislatures, inspired 
by Donald Trump's big lie that the election was stolen, have introduced 
more than 360 bills with restrictive voting provisions in 47 States--
one of the most notorious examples, the State of Georgia.
  Remember, the State of Georgia--hotly contested in the 2020 election, 
and then the Trump troops came in and went to court over and over and 
over again, suggesting there was election fraud and dishonesty in the 
Georgia election. And the Georgia election officials, virtually all 
Republicans, stood up and said it was an honest election, a close one, 
but it was an honest election. They were challenged over and over 
again, to the point where the former President of the United States, 
while he was still in power, called an election official in Georgia and 
basically threatened him; that if he didn't change the votes and give 
President Trump what he thought he needed to win, he would pay a price 
for it. It went that far.
  To his credit, this election official stood up and said: The results 
are accurate and I stand by them and I am not going to change it.
  It went that far.
  And there was a big turnout in Georgia. In fact, there was an amazing 
turnout in the runoff elections for the two Senate seats won by Jon 
Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, our colleagues here in the U.S. Senate. So 
even with that big turnout and even with the certainty that that 
election was honest from start to finish, the Georgia Legislature 
decided to change the laws for voting in Georgia. It wasn't volume they 
were looking for; it was loyalty. They wanted to make sure that the 
voters in the future would be friendlier to the Republicans.
  And so they changed the Georgia election law and made it harder for 
people, particularly people of color, young people, the elderly, and 
people of limited means, to vote. That law--that Georgia voting law--
represents a blatantly political effort to subvert our democratic 
process.
  Republicans of conscience know this, but it seems there is no future 
for those Republicans, if we reflect on the vote taken this morning in 
the House of Representatives Republican caucus. Liz Cheney's expulsion 
from her role in the Republican conference is just the latest example 
of what happens to Republican officials who dare to speak the truth 
about the 2020 election. They are not only silenced, they are purged 
from the party ranks.
  Our own colleague Senator Mitt Romney, not long ago a Republican 
candidate for President of the United States, was just censured by a 
Republican county organization in his State because he refuses to 
support the big lie of Donald Trump. The unfortunate reality is that, 
today, the loudest voices within the Republican Party have joined 
Donald Trump in declaring war on the basics of our democracy.
  That is why we in Congress need to do something. Immediately. This 
week, the Rules Committee held a markup on a measure that would combat 
voter suppression and protect our democratic process. It is known as 
the For the People Act.
  This is a democracy defense plan. It will ensure that all eligible 
Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote without 
facing burdensome barriers at the ballot box. The For the People Act 
invests in election infrastructure, provides State and local officials 
with resources to run safe, secure elections
  In addition to combating voter suppression, the bill also reforms a 
broken campaign finance system that gives wealthy donors and big 
corporations far too much influence over our electoral process. By 
passing it, we will say, loud and clear, that America's elections are 
not for sale to the highest bidder. Above all, this legislation will 
strengthen the integrity of our democratic process and put more power 
in the hands of the people.
  Now, I know some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are 
attacking the bill as a ``takeover'' of the Nation's election system. 
The truth is, American elections have already been taken over by 
special interests. This bill will start to restore our democracy and 
make it more accessible to every eligible American.
  I would love to know what my Republican colleagues find so 
objectionable about the legislation's core provisions. Listen, it 
automatically registers American voters when they get a driver's 
license; it guarantees at least 15 days of early voting; ends partisan 
gerrymandering nationwide; and brings greater transparency to the 
campaign finance system. These are reforms that will make our democracy 
whole again, and they are desperately needed, particularly at this 
moment in our history because in the world's greatest democracy, people 
shouldn't have to wait in line for hours on end to have their voices 
heard. And yet that is the reality for voters in States just like 
Georgia. And it is not an accident; it is intentional. Look at the 
people standing in the lines, and you can understand why they are being 
discouraged from voting by waiting so long.
  Let's be honest about these restrictive voting provisions being 
passed in State legislatures across the country, because they are 
grounded in one lie after another. The truth is that President Trump's 
own officials at the Department of Homeland Security declared that the 
2020 election was the most secure election in American history.
  The truth is, judges across the country, including many appointed by 
President Donald Trump, threw out more than 63 lawsuits that his 
followers filed, challenging the results of last year's elections. Why? 
There was no evidence, no basis in fact for the big lie.
  But the truth is, the big lie won't just die with the 2020 election. 
It will sow distrust in our electoral system for years to come, unless 
my Republican colleagues act with courage. A few have done so. This 
morning, one paid a heavy price.
  The question to all of us is: Are we prepared to either discredit 
democracy or defend it?
  Rejecting the big lie is the defense of our democratic process. We 
have to join together in making certain that every American's right to 
vote is protected.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page S2468]]

  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ossoff). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.