00:00Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise in support of H.R. 884, which prohibits individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia.
00:10On November 21st, 2022, the D.C. government enacted the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, permitting non-citizen residents to vote in D.C. local elections.
00:23This includes illegal immigrants and even foreign diplomats whose interests may be opposed to the interests of Americans.
00:32This radical change to Washington, D.C.'s election laws upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
00:39For instance, Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser withheld her signature on the act, something she has done only a handful of times.
00:46In the last Congress, when an identical bill was brought to the floor, 262 members voted in favor, including 52 of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
00:59Unfortunately, the Senate refused to take up this bipartisan, common-sense bill to maintain election integrity in our nation's capital.
01:09The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship.
01:13Diluting that right by extending it to non-citizens, whether here legally or illegally, undermines the voice of Washington, D.C. residents.
01:26Article 1 of the Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the nation's capital.
01:33And the House Oversight Committee is charged with ensuring responsible governance in the district, including its election laws.
01:40I urge my colleagues to support Representative August Pfluger's bill to restore common-sense protection
01:46and ensure that only United States citizens have the right to vote in local D.C. elections.
01:53I reserve the balance of my time.
01:55The gentleman reserves and the gentleman from Florida.
