Securing America's Federal Elections Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, keeping our elections safe from cyberattacks and fraud is not and should not be a partisan priority.

H.R. 2722 has been rushed to the House floor without giving the Science, Space, and Technology Committee the opportunity to hold even a single hearing on the bill or the subject matter.

The problem with rushing this bill through Congress is that it will have a significant negative impact on NIST's ability to work with State and local governments to identify standards and best practices for election security.

Our priority in Congress should be to develop useful tools that empower States and local officials to ensure their elections are secure, accessible, and accurate.

In fact, our secretary of state in Indiana, Ms. Connie Lawson, has done a remarkable job leading the effort to add safeguards to our elections process, ensuring it is completed with integrity.

Given the opportunity, I believe that our committee could come to an agreement, in a bipartisan manner, to update NIST's election and security activities.

Congress should focus on legislation that provides much-needed improvements and reinforcements for local officials without overstepping the States' authority to maintain their elections.

Madam Speaker, because of the lack of following regular order, the committee has never been given the opportunity to ensure those issues are addressed.

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