Cicilline, Cartwright, Dingell, Lieu Applaud House Action to Protect American Elections from Foreign Interference

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WASHINGTON, DC – The House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chairman David Cicilline (RI-01) and Co-Chairs Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Ted Lieu (CA-33) released the following statements on House Passage of the Shield Act (Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for A Lasting Democracy Act). This comprehensive legislation will strengthen the resilience of our democracy and protect against foreign interference in America's elections, including by foreign governments. The SHIELD Act is supported by numerous organizations, including: Common Cause, the Brennan Center for Justice, People for the American Way, Democracy 21, NAACP, Public Citizen, End Citizens United Action Fund, Franciscan Action Network, and Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

"After several weeks of refusing to answer whether it's appropriate to ask a foreign country to interfere in an American election, Republicans gave us their answer tonight," said Cicilline. "It's sad that the party of Ronald Reagan is refusing to protect the right of the American people, not Vladimir Putin, to pick our elected officials. Democrats will continue fighting to ensure our elections are conducted free from any foreign interference. That's why we passed this bill today and why we'll continue working to ensure states get the resources they need to ensure the security of our elections."

"The integrity of American elections is the foundation of our democracy," said Cartwright. "The SHIELD Act would help ensure that American voters determine the outcome of our elections. Today, the House sent a clear message that foreign influence and foreign money have no place in our political process."

"The intelligence community has said Russia interfered once in our elections and will do it again unless we get serious about election security," said Dingell. "The American people have lost faith in the administration to protect our elections. Now it's time for Congress to step up and do what's right."

"When Democrats won the majority, we promised the American people we would do everything in our power to protect our elections from another attack by foreign adversaries," said Lieu. "Today, House Democrats kept that promise by passing the SHIELD Act which protects our democratic process from foreign intervention and holds individuals engaged in attacking our elections accountable by law. In 2016 our elections were attacked by foreign actors and now they're setting their sights on 2020. Majority Leader McConnell should take this bill up in the Senate immediately and join the House Democrats in protecting our national security before it's too late."