Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2021

March 4, 2021

In the wake of an unprecedented assault on our democracy; a coordinated attempt to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the American people never before seen in our history and a new wave of aggressive attacks on voting rights taking place in States across the country, I applaud Speaker Pelosi and the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021.

The right to vote is sacred and fundamental; it is the right from which all of our other rights as Americans spring. This landmark legislation is urgently needed to protect that right, to safeguard the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy. It will rein in the outrageous gerrymandering that distorts our democracy. It will empower the Justice Department to crack down on laws that curtail voting rights along racial lines. It will reform our campaign finance system to amplify the voices of the people, not the powerful. And it will modernize and secure our future elections against all manner of threats.

I look forward to working with Congress to refine and advance this important bill. And I look forward to signing it into law after it has passed through the legislative process so that together we can strengthen and restore American democracy for the next election and all those to come.

Categories: Statements by the President : For the People Act of 2021, House of Representatives passage.

Names: Pelosi, Nancy.

Subjects: Civil rights : Voting rights; Congress : House of Representatives :: Speaker; District of Columbia : Civil unrest and violence at U.S. Capitol; Elections : Voter participation; Justice, Department of : Voting rights, protection efforts; Legislation, proposed : For the People Act of 2021.

DCPD Number: DCPD202100201.

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