Hoyer Statement on President Biden's Remarks on the Urgent Need to Protect the Right to Vote

Statement

WASHINGTON, DC -- House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on President Biden's remarks on the urgent need to protect the right to vote:

"Today, President Biden reiterated the central argument made by those who founded our American republic: that every citizen ought to have the freedom to choose our leaders at the ballot box. This cornerstone of our democracy has been - and continues to be - undermined by Republican efforts to suppress the right to vote. These efforts have targeted people of color and disadvantaged communities, making it even harder for them to elect leaders ready to address injustices. The voter suppression legislation we have seen Republicans push for in Georgia, Arizona, Texas, and elsewhere are nothing other than a more sophisticated version of the kind of voting rules imposed under Jim Crow. This situation must change.

"The House has already passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would be the most consequential voting rights legislation since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Senate Republicans, unfortunately, have blocked it with their filibuster. The House is also continuing its work on H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore the protections of the 1965 law that the Supreme Court weakened in 2013. President Biden today urged Congress to send him voting-rights legislation; Republicans must end their obstruction and allow progress to happen.

"As a principal sponsor of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, I am committed to ensuring the right of every eligible American to exercise their right to vote. I will continue to work closely with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and across the Democratic Caucus to protect voting rights and ballot access. The Senate must do the same so that Congress and President Biden can protect our democracy and fulfill the vision of our Founders."

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