[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ELECTION TASK FORCE

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, we know that the MAGA right is trying to 
rig our democracy. We knew it long before this decision. Donald Trump 
knows and his party knows that they are going to lose this election in 
2026, which is why they are working around the clock to tilt the scales 
unfairly in their favor.
  Trump issued another Executive order, a month ago, to subvert our 
elections. Last week, they took aim at the Southern Poverty Law Center 
to chill speech and suppress actions from organizations that protect 
democracy. Trump continues to push for his SAVE Act to disenfranchise 
tens of millions of Americans, and he stacked his administration with 
election deniers.
  So, today, I am launching the Democratic Party's most expansive 
effort, to date, to protect the 2026 midterm elections and to shield 
them from the direct threats posed by Trump and MAGA Republicans.
  This afternoon, a group of Senators and I will meet with former 
Attorney General Eric Holder, Mark Elias, and some of the country's top 
election experts to talk about how we can be ready for any and all 
threats that might come against our elections this fall.
  I want to thank my Senate Democratic colleagues for joining in 
today's meeting.
  We know that some on the extreme right will try to rig the system. 
Donald Trump said it. He said he can't win the election except by 
rigging it. That is more or less what he said. Donald Trump's Justice 
Department sought to seize States' voter rolls. Rightwingers raided 
election offices in Georgia. They pressed election officials in Arizona 
to turn over documents. Online radicals are threatening poll workers 
and are spreading lies about voter fraud. And, here in Congress, hard-
right Republicans are trying to pass Jim Crow 2.0 in the SAVE Act.
  These threats are only going to intensify the closer we get to 
election day. So our election fraud task force represents the most 
aggressive and coordinated effort to date to make sure our elections 
this fall are protected. The goal of our task force is to ensure that 
every vote counts and every American can participate in our democracy 
without coercion, intimidation, or threats from Trump or anyone else.

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