Today on the House floor, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) contrasted House Republicans' record of lowering costs, strengthening border security, combatting fraud, and advancing election integrity with Democrats' continued opposition to those priorities. Leader Scalise also pointed to recent reports that New Jersey identified more than 6,600 noncitizens on its voter rolls as evidence of the need for stronger election integrity measures.
 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s remarks:

“Over and over again, we see nothing but obstruction from Democrats. It's sad to say. It's sad to see. The American people are watching a party that has become a rudderless ship running off the left edge, socialists taking over. Watching what is going on to that other party, look at some of the things that we've been able to do even with their obstruction. Working to produce more energy in America so we can lower costs for American families while every Democrat voted no. Working to lower tax rates for working families. Yes, no tax on overtime, a benefit that has helped over 30 million Americans. These aren't the millionaires and the billionaires that Democrats go fight for every day. These are hardworking families making under $100,000 a year, many of them shift workers, law enforcement officers.

“Maybe they voted against that bill because they want to defund the police, not help police officers and firefighters have a little bit more money in their pocket with no tax on overtime, no tax on tips. Somebody making $32,000 a year on average has thousands more in their pocket now because of the work we did. And how did we pay for it, Mr. Chairman? We paid for it by putting anti-fraud measures in that bill. Yes, going after theft of American taxpayer dollars. And not just small-time folks. You've got foreign countries operating with criminal organizations in states like Minnesota. We saw it. We documented it... President Trump was able to go out and recoup not millions, but billions and tens of billions of dollars that we were able to take out of the hands of people stealing your money. And we, we put it in the pockets of hardworking families.

"Overtime workers, waiters, waitresses, senior citizens who now have a tax credit. All of that we paid for with money that was being stolen. And every step of the way, Democrats opposed it. They would rather theft of your tax dollars go to fraudsters than hardworking families have their money back. So their obstruction is nothing new, Mr. Chairman.

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“And then we get to today where we say, shouldn't we make sure our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to do their job safely? Shouldn't we make sure that our farmers get the relief they need so we can keep working to lower food costs? And oh, by the way, can't we ensure the integrity of the American vote? Basic things that most Americans understand. Democrats in Washington don't.

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“They get up here and they start voting against the wishes of the American people over and over and over again. And why? Not just to defend fraudsters. If you know that requiring a picture ID, just something so basic that every American understands, by the way, those same Democrats have to show that picture ID to get on the airplane to come up here and vote for socialist policies. But then yet they don't want that to be the case when you vote. And then they would say, ‘don't worry, there's no fraud.’ There's no fraud? Well, why is it just today's New York Post uncovered yet again what we've known all along? Here in New Jersey, they just admitted 6,600 noncitizens are on their rolls, many of them voting, voting in elections, illegals on their rolls voting. And they document in this article many elections that were decided by just a small number of votes. In fact, the margin of the theft, the stolen votes are that margin. You can stop that by just requiring a picture ID. And then you would say, well, then why would anybody be against that? And they'll hide behind all these other ruses, but they'll vote no.
 
“We've got a bill later today to say, well, let's ban members of Congress from trading stocks. And you're going to watch the board. On an issue that every American understands, and almost every Democrat's going to vote no. And you'll say, why is that? Because it requires a photo ID. What's so harmful about that? You can't go get an unlimited bowl of pasta at Olive Garden without showing a photo ID. Can we at least have the Olive Garden standard when we protect the democracy and the franchise that we have to keep this great democracy? And that's just requiring that you prove you are who you say you are.
 
“And this, Mr. Chairman, is such a fundamental principle. Not hard to explain to the American people, but actively opposed by Democrats in Congress. And it just begs the question, why? Who are they protecting? Who are they protecting with a no vote, Mr. Chairman, if they know illegals are voting in many of these states where they don't require photo ID?

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“I think it's critical we protect the sanctity of every American's right to vote. And if somebody else is stealing your vote because they're voting illegally, thousands in New Jersey, then it takes away your right to vote. Mr. Chairman, we ought to be protecting everybody's right to vote."

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