Schumer: New Senate Intelligence Committee Election Security Report Shows Sen. McConnell And Senate GOP Should Stop Blocking Legislation To Secure U.S. Elections

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today released the following statement on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s report on Putin’s intelligence operations to interfere in the United States’ elections. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report also lays out specific bipartisan recommendations to bolster security and protections for our elections.

“The Senate Intelligence Committee has reached the same conclusions as the FBI, NSA, and the broader intelligence and national security communities: Putin has been and is continuing to actively undermine and interfere in our elections and it is incumbent upon Congress to take action to protect and secure our democracy. Many of the recommendations in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report are included in legislation that Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked, including: ensuring a voter-verified paper trail, quickly identifying perpetrators of cyberattacks and improving communications channels between state and local elections officials and the federal government, as well as providing additional resources to protect and improve vulnerable voting systems in states and local jurisdictions.

“Unfortunately, Leader McConnell – as he showed the American people again today when he blocked commonsense House-passed legislation – is standing in the way of progress when it comes to securing our elections and safeguarding our democracy. Election security is a national security issue of paramount importance and the Republican leader’s intransigence is both untenable and sends exactly the wrong signal to foreign adversaries who seek to undermine our elections.”

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