Today, Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act. The bill would prohibit federal agencies from using taxpayer funds to implement or enter into agreements with partisan organizations that conduct voter mobilization activities.
On March 7, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order called “Promoting Access to Voting.” It requires the head of every federal agency to submit a plan outlining the agency’s steps to “promote voter registration and voter participation.”
The executive order also requires all federal agencies support “approved” third-party organizations to provide voter registration services on federal agency premises located in states across America.
Rep. Budd sent a letter on Jan. 19, 2022 to the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget requesting documents and an investigation into the executive order.
This bill is a direct response to Biden’s executive order.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Ronny Jackson, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), and Alex Mooney (R-WV).
Rep. Budd said in a statement:
“President Biden’s executive order empowering every federal agency to engage in electioneering on the taxpayers’ dime raises serious ethical and legal concerns. This sweeping directive is inherently partisan and directed primarily at groups expected to vote for one party over another.”
House Election Integrity Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Claudia Tenney said:
“Voting is one of our most sacred rights as American citizens and it must be protected. President Biden has no business turning federal agencies into partisan voting operations for Democrats. It’s unconstitutional and would further undermine confidence in the integrity of our elections. I am standing up today to put an end to this overreaching effort, and I appreciate Congressman Budd’s continued leadership on this issue.”
