Pelosi, Thompson, Brady Announce Election Security Task Force
(WASHINGTON) – Today, as the nation prepares to celebrate July 4th, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-PA) announced the formation of a Task Force to ensure the health and security of our nation’s election systems.
The Congressional Task Force on Election Security will address the lack of action to protect electoral infrastructure following Russia interfering and attempting to influence the 2016 Presidential election. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the election systems in 21 states were breached and voter records containing personal information were stolen. To this day, we have seen no action from the Republican Congress or the Trump Administration to provide greater protection to our election systems.
The Congressional Task Force on Election Security is intended to be a forum for Members from the two Committees to hear from experts with expertise in cybersecurity and election infrastructure and identify policy recommendations that can help ensure the integrity of our election systems and guard against future attacks.
Leader Pelosi released the following statement on the Task Force:
“The integrity of our democracy itself is under threat from the Russians,” said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. “But we see an appalling absence of action, or even concern, from President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Democrats won’t allow Putin’s assault on American democracy to go unchallenged. With our Task Force on Election Security, House Democrats are continuing to pursue the facts and defend our democracy where Republicans won’t.”
Ranking Member Thompson added the following:
“Last year's Russian campaign to hack our political institutions and interfere with the Presidential election was a blatant attack on our democracy. If we continue to do nothing to protect the integrity of our election systems, we make it easy for Russia and other nefarious actors to impact future elections. Unfortunately, we have seen no effort from the Republican-led Congress or the Trump Administration to address this vulnerability. Looking towards the future, we must be able to put politics aside for the good of the country and work together to protect against efforts to undermine our cherished democratic institutions. I look forward to working with Ranking Member Brady and my colleagues to get answers for the American people and prevent future damage to our democracy.”
Ranking Member Brady added the following:
"We now know that Russia launched an unprecedented attack on our election infrastructure, and the intelligence community has indicated that foreign actors will be back in 2018 and 2020. Free, fair, and secure elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and Congress must take action to address this threat to our election security, and our national security. I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify the vulnerabilities in our voting systems and to take action to make our elections safer."
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Media contacts:
(Thompson) Adam Comis at 202-225-9978
(Brady) Khalil Abboud at 202-225-2061
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