WASHINGTON — A group of moderate House Democrats are rolling out a detailed plan to combat foreign interference in future elections, in response to conclusions made in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.
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The Blue Dog Coalition is pulling ideas from 11 pieces of legislation that they say have bipartisan support.
“It’s critically important to take action immediately,” said Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida), the leader of the caucus.
“We need to ensure that our country and our constituents have full faith in their election system,” she added.
The group of moderate Democrats stood alongside a sign that said 227 days before primaries begin, signifying that time is running out to enact legislation ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“This is a clear and present danger. They are coming again for 2020,” said Rep. Lou Correa (D-California), a member of the caucus.
"It’s not an issue just isolated to Russia. Iranians, Chinese, North Koreans, other countries are going to try and get in,” he added.
The group’s plan is to give states and local governments more tools to combat threats, improve coordination and put policies in place to hold Russia accountable for previous meddling and to deter future interference among other ideas.
The majority of their agenda is comprised of legislation that has already been introduced but has stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.
“There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t work together. If we can’t do this, I don’t know what we can do,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-New Jersey).
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to be a major obstacle, blocking several election security bills from being considered on the Senate floor. He’s argued the federal government has already done enough to protect elections. Other Republicans like Senator Marco Rubio agree.
"I think that’s unfair to say the Majority Leader doesn’t have it as a priority. Last year we provided millions of dollars in funding to states,” Rubio said in an interview with Spectrum News.
“I warn everybody that the more money, the bigger role the federal government plays in elections, the more they are going to want to control how they are conducted,” he added.
As these moderate Democrats attempt to shift the conversation back to Russian meddling in the 2016 election and away from obstruction, they emphasize their effort is not meant to replace growing calls for impeachment.
The unveiling of this new election security plan comes as a House committee approved a bill Friday that would allocate more money to upgrade election security and mandate paper ballots. The House is expected to vote on that measure next week.