Providing for Consideration of S. Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Law- Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Undersea Cable Protection Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. It is a solution in search of a problem, as the gentleman from Massachusetts just pointed out.

My colleague pointed out earlier some polling numbers. Let me put another polling number out there. Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks. If that is the standard, let's pass a universal background check right now. Let's save lives from senseless gun violence.

Republicans say that this bill will stop noncitizens from voting, but as the ranking member from the Rules Committee pointed out, nonpartisan studies have found that over 24 years and out of hundreds of millions of votes cast, there has been proof of this happening exactly 77 times.

To be clear, voter fraud should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We welcome conversations to do that, but that is not what this bill does.

Indeed, if my colleagues were serious about election integrity, we would include protections for American voters who are overseas, like the brave men and women of our military. We would provide free automatic IDs. We would allow same-day voter registration for eligible voters, and we wouldn't force married women to navigate even more bureaucratic obstacles. We wouldn't force States to turn over their voter rolls, and wouldn't actively discourage voting by mail.

Mr. Speaker, I have a different challenge for my colleagues from the Republican side. They should join me in focusing on what Americans actually need: relief from the crushing cost of living crisis in this country. Let's stop pretending that this bill defends democracy and start helping the people we represent.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule and on this bill.

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