Andy Biggs Blasts ‘Radical’ Law Allowing Noncitizen Residents To Vote In Washington, DC Elections

7 months ago

During a House Rules Committee hearing last week, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) spoke against noncitizen voting in Washington, DC.

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Transcript

00:00for the House's consideration of H.R. 192, an act to prohibit individuals who are not

00:04citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia.

00:08Reporting out H.R. 192, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability holds that Congress

00:12must act to exert its constitutional responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia and make

00:17certain necessary amendments to the District's law. Since the voters entrusted Republicans with

00:22control of the House on 1-18, the Oversight Committee has conducted long overdue oversight

00:26of our nation's capital city, including holding hearings on the District of Columbia.

00:30Specifically to the topic we're discussing today, the Oversight Committee held a joint hearing

00:34with the Committee on House Administration on Election Integrity in the District.

00:38At that hearing, both committees examined the District Government's Local Resident Voting

00:43Rights Amendment Act, allowing non-citizen residents to vote in D.C. local elections.

00:48This act includes illegal immigrants and even foreign diplomats,

00:52whose interests may be opposed to the interests of Americans and, as others pointed out,

00:56even visiting students. This radical change to our election laws upsets lawmakers on both sides

01:02of the aisle. D.C. Mayor Bowser withheld her signature on the act, something she has done

01:07only a handful of times. On February 9, 2023, 260 members in the House voted to overturn the D.C.

01:13Act through a resolution of disapproval. In that vote, 42 House Democrats voted to block this D.C.

01:18law. However, the bipartisan resolution of disapproval was not considered in the Senate,

01:23so D.C.'s non-citizen voting law went into effect. This is unacceptable. The primary factor

01:29that differentiates American citizens from non-citizens is the right to vote. D.C. residents

01:33should be confident that their local government vote is not being diluted by lawful non-citizen

01:37residents or illegal immigrants. Article 1 of the Constitution grants Congress exclusive

01:42jurisdiction over the nation's capital, and the rules of the U.S. House charged the Committee

01:46on Oversight, Committee and Accountability with the duty to oversee the municipal affairs

01:50of the District of Columbia. I urge my colleagues to support Representative Pfluger's common-sense

01:55bill to ensure that only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in local D.C. elections and repeal

02:00D.C.'s radical law. Since 1973's Limited Home Rule Act, four times the D.C. legislature has

02:06been nullified and seven times disapproval resolutions have received floor consideration

02:12in at least one House. I thank the Rules Committee for convening today

02:17to discuss this bill, and I look forward to the conversation. I yield back.

Andy Biggs Blasts ‘Radical’ Law Allowing Noncitizen Residents To Vote In Washington, DC Elections

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