MR. PRESIDENT, I RISE TONIGHT TO JOIN MY COLLEAGUES TO ADDRESS THE NEED TO IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO RUSSIANS' INTERFERENCE. I'D LIKE TO THANK SENATOR WHITEHOUSE FOR BRINGING US TOGETHER. THIS EVENING MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT HOW RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AFFECTS AMERICANS AND OUR ALLIES ACROSS THE WORLD. SOME HAVE DISCUSSED THE NEED FOR SANCTIONS TO DETER RUSSIA AND THE FACT THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT YET IMPOSED SANCTIONS, THE SAME SANCTIONS THAT WERE PASSED BY THE SENATE 98-2 AND 419-3 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THOSE WERE THE ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS THAT WERE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE INTERFERENCE IN THE ELECTIONS AND WHAT WE SAW TAKE PLACE OVER THE LAST YEAR. THEY SIT -- THEY SIT DORMANT.

OTHERS TALKED ABOUT SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER'S INVESTIGATION AND THE FACT THAT IT MUST MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT INTERFERENCE. NEARLY A DOZEN SENATORS HAVE COME TO THE FLOOR TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEED TO STAND UP AGAINST RUSSIA. I AM HERE TO SAFEGUARD THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL PART OF OUR DEMOCRACY, AND THAT IS THE UNITED STATES ELECTIONS. I HEARD TODAY THE PRIME MINISTER OF SWEDEN ADDRESS OUR NATION, STANDING NEXT TO THE PRESIDENT, AND HE WAS ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT THIS. HE PUT IT SIMPLY. HE BELIEVED THE PEOPLE, THE CITIZENS OF HIS COUNTRY, ARE THE ONES SHOULD MAKE THE DECISIONS ABOUT THE ELECTIONS, THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR OWN OPINIONS, NOT INFLUENCED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES ACTING LIKE THEY ARE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.

IT IS YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, THAT MADE THE STATEMENT THAT I HAVE QUOTED SO MANY TIMES, THAT IN THE LAST ELECTION IT WAS ONE CANDIDATE AND ONE PARTY AND IN THE NEXT ELECTION IT COULD BE THE OTHER CANDIDATE IN THE OTHER PARTY. WE DO NOT COME HERE IN A PARTISAN WAY. WE COME HERE BECAUSE THE CLOCK IS TICKING.

TODAY MARKS AN IMPORTANT DAY IN THE 2018 ELECTION CYCLE. TEXAS IS HOLDING THE FIRST STATE PRIMARY AND OTHERS BEGIN IN THE COMING WEEKS, INCLUDING ILLINOIS. ILLINOIS, WHICH WAS ONE OF 21 STATES THAT THE RUSSIANS ATTEMPTED TO HACK IN, ILLINOIS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY HACKED INTO THE VOTER DATA, THE PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR VOTERS. THOSE ELECTIONS ARE COMING. WE ARE GLAD THAT WE HAVE A DECENTRALIZED SYSTEM SO IT IS HARDER TO HACK INTO ONE CENTRALIZED SYSTEM, BUT IT ALSO MEANS THEY HAVE MANY THINGS TO CHOOSE FROM AND WE HAVE 40 STATES THAT HAVEN'T UPDATED THEIR EQUIPMENT IN TEN YEARS. WE HAVE TEN STATES THAT DON'T HAVE BACKUP PAPER BALLOTS AND WE SIT HERE DOING NOTHING WHEN THE SOLUTION IS IN FRONT OF US.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR, I HAVE COME TO THE FLOOR A NUMBER OF TIMES TO URGE THIS BODY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO BEEF UP OUR ELECTION CYBERSECURE. THERE IS NO LONGER ANY DOUBT THAT OUR ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TARGET FOR FOREIGN ADVERSARIES. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT RUSSIA USED COVERT CYBER ATTACKS AND ESPIONAGE TO ATTACK OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM. I MENTIONED OUR ATTACKS ON 21 STATE ELECTION SYSTEMS. YOU KNOW WHEN THE GENERAL ELECTION IS? IT IS 245 DAYS AWAY WITH PRIMARIES BEGINNING TODAY. WE HAVE NOT IMPOSED THE SANCTIONS. THE ADMINISTRATION HASN'T, DESPITE THIS BODY TAKING FIRM ACTION THAT WE WANTED TO SEE THE ACTIONS -- SANCTIONS.

WE HAD SECURITY HEADS TALK ABOUT THIS, THE HEAD OF THE C.I.A., THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, THE HEAD OF THE F.B.I., THEY ALL TESTIFIED BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEES THAT, IN FACT, THIS IS HAPPENING NOW. AND IT WAS DIRECTOR COATS WHO WAS ONCE A SENATOR HERE WHO SAID, IN EFFECT, HE BELIEVES THE RUSSIANS ARE GETTING BOLDER -- GETTING BOLDER. THESE ARE NOT THE WORDS OF THE OBAMA SECURITY PEOPLE. THESE ARE THE WORDS OF THE TRUMP SECURITY PEOPLE. LAST WEEK, N.S.A. DIRECTOR ROGERS SAID THIS ABOUT RUSSIA, THEY HAVEN'T PAID A PRICE, AT LEAST SUFFICIENT THAT GETS THEM TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR. EARLIER THIS YEAR, C.I.A. DIRECTOR POMPEO SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN NO SIGNS THAT RUSSIA DECREASED ITS ACTIVITY AND THAT RUSSIA IS CURRENTLY WORKING TO DISRUPT THE 2018 ELECTIONS.

 IT IS THE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO DEFEND AGAINST AND RESPONDS TO THREATS TO OUR NATION. THIS IS A CYBER ATTACK, IT IS NOT WITH BULLETS, IT IS NOT WITH TANKS, IT IS NOT WITH AIRCRAFT, BUT IT IS AN ATTACK. IT IS SIMPLY USING THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, AND IN EVERY BRIEFING THAT I HAVE GONE TO, THIS IS ALWAYS LISTED AS ONE OF THE MAJOR WAYS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARIES ARE GOING TO USE TO ATTACK OUR NATION. THAT IS THEY ARE GOING TO USE THE INTERNET. AND HERE WE HAVE IT HAPPENING RIGHT HERE ON OUR VERY DEMOCRACY ITSELF.

IN ORDER TO PROTECT OUR ELECTION SYSTEM, WE NEED TO DO THREE KEY THINGS. FIRST, WE MUST GIVE STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO PREVENT HACKS AND SAFEGUARD ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE FROM FOREIGN INTERFERENCE, AND THEY NEED THOSE RESOURCES NOW, NOT AFTER THE ELECTION, NOT AFTER THE PRIMARIES. TODAY MORE THAN 40 STATES, AS I MENTIONED, RELY ON ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS THAT ARE AT LEAST 10 YEARS OLD. DO YOU THINK THE RUSSIANS DON'T KNOW THAT? YOU DON'T THINK -- YOU THINK IT IS A STATE SECRET? OF COURSE THEY KNOW THAT.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 WAS SUPER TUESDAY FOR THE 2008 PRESIDENT ELECTION. A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, BUT NOT OUR VOTING EQUIPMENT. IT HAS REMAINED THE SAME. THAT IS WHY I'M LEADING BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION WITH SENATOR LANKFORD. THIS IS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT. WE ALSO APPRECIATE OUR COSPONSORS SENATORS GRAHAM AND HEINRICH. THIS WOULD PROVIDE $386 MILLION FOR GRANT FUNDING FOR STATES. IT IS PAID FOR. WE FOUND A PAID FOR. WE HAVE A SIMILAR BILL LED BY CONGRESSMAN MEADOWS IN THE HOUSE, THE HEAD OF THE FREEDOM CAUCUS, BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT FREEDOM ISN'T CHEAP. THAT TO GUARANTEE FREEDOM, THAT YOU MUST HAVE A SECURE DEMOCRACY. $386 MILLION, THAT IS 3% OF THE COST OF ONE AIRCRAFT CARRIER. I THINK MOST AMERICANS WOULD AGREE THAT AS WE SEE MORE AND MORE SOPHISTICATED TYPES OF WARFARE HAPPENING TO NOT EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO HELPING THE STATES TO FUND THIS ELECTION EQUIPMENT THAT HAS BEEN WOEFULLY UNDERFUNDED IS A HUGE MISTAKE.

THE SECOND THING THAT WE NEED TO DO -- AND BY THE WAY, WE CAN DO THIS NOW. WE CAN DO THIS ON THE OMNIBUS BILL. THE SECOND THING WE CAN DO IS IMPROVE INFORMATION SHARING SO LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS KNOW WHEN HE THEY ARE -- WHEN THEY ATTACKED AND HOW TO RESPOND. IT TAXES NEARLY -- IT TOOK NEARLY A YEAR BEFORE THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RUSSIAN HACKERS. FINALLY, WE NEED A RELIABLE BACKUP SYSTEM, AND I AM TALKING ABOUT PAPER BACKUP BALLOTS. 10 STATES DON'T HAVE THEM. THIS IS A CORNERSTONE OF OUR DEMOCRACY. WE HAVE FOUGHT FOR OUR DEMOCRACY SINCE THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUND AND WE MUST GUARANTEE THAT DEMOCRACY CONTINUES. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I YIELD THE FLOOR.