Klobuchar also took to the Senate floor yesterday to make the case for her bipartisan amendment with Senator Lindsey Graham to safeguard U.S. election infrastructure from foreign interference to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act
Bipartisan group of former national security officials sent a letter to Senate leadership pushing for a vote on this amendment; Bipartisan group of ten secretaries of state sent a letter urging the Senate to pass this amendment
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar continued her bipartisan push to protect U.S. election infrastructure from foreign influence on the Senate floor. Klobuchar also took to the Senate floor yesterday to make the case for her bipartisan amendment with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to safeguard U.S. election infrastructure from foreign interference to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act. The Klobuchar-Graham amendment would help states block cyber-attacks, secure voter registration logs and voter data, upgrade election auditing procedures, and create secure and useful information sharing about threats.
“The integrity of our election system is the cornerstone of our democracy. The freedom to choose our leaders and know with full confidence that those leaders were chosen in free and fair elections, that is something that Americans have fought and died for since our country was founded,” Klobuchar said. “Obstructing efforts to improve election security is an insult to those who have fought for our freedom and those who work every day to protect our democracy.”
Klobuchar continued, “I am not going to give up this fight. I refuse to go home to my constituents without doing everything in my power to take action. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in this fight to protect our election system.”
The Klobuchar-Graham amendment has broad bipartisan support, including a bipartisan group of former national security officials and ten secretaries of state who have sent letters to Senate leadership pushing for vote on this amendment. The National Association of Counties, a group that unites America’s 3,069 counties, has also endorsed the amendment.
Representatives Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) have introduced similar legislation in the House.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, Klobuchar has introduced legislation to improve the security of U.S. election systems and make commonsense improvements to election administration. She and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced the bipartisan Stop Foreign Donations Affecting Our Elections Act to strengthen disclosure by requiring federal campaigns to use existing credit card verification protocols to help verify that online credit card donations come from U.S. sources. Klobuchar has also introduced the Helping State and Local Governments Prevent Cyber Attacks Act to help combat foreign interference by providing state and local governments with the information and resources they need to keep our elections secure and improve voter confidence.
In June, Klobuchar led Senate Rules Committee Democrats in a call for hearings and briefings on foreign attempts to hack into U.S. election systems and improving cyber security. Klobuchar also led a group of 26 senators in calling for a full account of the Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) efforts to address Russian cybersecurity threats. In early January, Klobuchar introduced legislation with four other senators to create an independent, nonpartisan commission to comprehensively investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
For a broadcast-quality video excerpt of Klobuchar’s remarks, click here.
###
