RJC Statement on HR1

Washington, DC (March 22, 2021) –– Republican Jewish Coalition National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman made the following statement today:

Republicans have no hesitancy in standing up for the right to vote, but we firmly reject HR 1, a massive 800-page bill that is not healthy for our constitutional republic. 

Increasing voter turnout is desirable, but new voters must be eligible citizens. Unfortunately, Democrats are hostile to proposals that would minimize the frequency of mistakes or fraud that dilute the value of legitimate votes. Most perplexing is their opposition to state laws requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls, laws that are widely supported by Americans. HR 1 would override 36 state voter ID laws and numerous other state laws intended to protect election integrity by ensuring that only legitimate votes are cast.

We also object to the dozens of Democrat wish-list items stitched together in HR 1, many of which have nothing to do with voting rights. For instance, HR 1 includes a scheme to subsidize congressional campaigns with public money, while permitting politicians to use campaign funds to pay for their child care and health insurance premiums. Worse, the so-called "For the People Act" would gut civil rights-era privacy protections for Americans who donate to advocacy organizations like the RJC. Those provisions have led the American Civil Liberties Union to oppose the bill.  

Updating and improving the laws that govern our elections should be an area of bipartisan cooperation. The last time Congress updated our nation's election laws, in 2002, the Republican-controlled House passed the bill 357-48 and the Democrat-controlled Senate passed it 98-2. By contrast, HR 1 passed the House of Representatives without a single Republican vote. We urge Senate Democrats to set aside HR 1 and open up the process to compromise that can lead to a bill with broad support from Americans across party lines.