GOP senators hold the line on For the People Act

May 12, 2021 Amber Coakley US 0

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined at right by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., listens during a Senate Rules Committee markup on the “For the People Act” at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The bill was already passed by Democrats in the House. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:20 AM PT – Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Republicans are pushing back against Democrats in the fight to preserve election integrity. On Tuesday, lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration hashed out their differences on the For the People Act, also called S.1. GOP lawmakers held the line on their position that the bill would weaponize America’s election system in favor of Democrats.

“The Democratic Party on its own wants to rewrite the ground rules of American politics for their benefit,” stated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “We all know that’s what this is about. It’s hard to imagine anything that would erode public confidence in our democracy more drastically.”

Democrats want to rewrite the rules of our elections and restrict Americans’ free speech on a purely partisan basis.

Hard to imagine anything that would shatter public confidence in our democracy more dramatically than a transparent partisan power grab. pic.twitter.com/bjrCh4tFeW

— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) May 11, 2021

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called the bill the “most radical bill” he’s seen during his time in the Senate. He lambasted provisions dwindling states’ power to administer their own elections and attempts to secure future elections.

The Texas lawmaker noted the bill would make it illegal for states to require voters to show their ID’s and instead promotes ballot harvesting. He warned this could lead to corruption and voter fraud.

Additionally, Cruz claimed Democrats are trying to expand their voter base. He asserted that they believe granting voting rights to convicted felons and illegal immigrants will add more voters to Democrat Party.

“This legislation would disenfranchise millions of Americans,” he stated. “Many of us are referring to this legislation as the ‘corrupt politicians act’…this legislation is designed to ensure that Democrats never lose another election.”

Junior Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) aired his grievances about S.1’s efforts to turn the Federal Election Commission (FEC) into a partisan body. The bill would shrink the number of commissioners from six to five, which welcomes the possibility of stacking Democrats in the majority.

Additionally, Hagerty claimed the bill aims to funnel taxpayer funds into federal elections.

In the meantime, the vote did not get reported out of the committee as both sides of the aisle remained evenly divided. However, Democrats are confident that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will use his power to bypass Republican opposition and bring the bill to the Senate floor.