Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) released the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 1, another partisan bill more focused on increasing government control than fighting COVID-19 and getting America back on track:
Congressman Keller speaks with the press in the Cannon Rotunda on H.R. 1
“Tonight, Congress voted on yet another hyper-partisan bill which Speaker Pelosi calls the “For the People Act.” This bill can more accurately be called the “For the Politicians Act,” because it is designed to centralize power in Washington, D.C., use public funds—including American tax dollars—for political attack ads, and take away the rights of state legislatures to determine election procedures. This bill follows job-killing Executive Orders, a reckless $1.9 trillion progressive bailout, and legislation attacking religious freedoms, proving that Washington Democrats are more interested in advancing political messaging bills than working in a bipartisan manner on behalf of the American people.”
Background:
H.R. 1 is a sweeping federal rewrite of our election system which:
- Allows first-ever federal funding of campaigns, creating a 6:1 government match to any small donor contributions of $200 or less in a congressional or presidential campaign – meaning for every $200, the federal government will match $1,200 – and establishing a new voucher pilot program that grants eligible voters a $25 publicly-funded voucher to donate to any campaign of their choosing.
- Nationalizes elections and centralizes administration in Washington, D.C. by impeding states’ ability to determine their registration and voting practices, as protected under Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution, mandating ethics standards for the Supreme Court, violating the separation of powers, and forcing a one-size-fits-all redistricting process on all 50 states.
- Forces states to permanently expand mail-in voting, legalize ballot harvesting, and disregard voter ID laws.
- Politicizes the Federal Election Commission by altering the current bipartisan makeup of the six-member commission to a partisan five-member commission.
- Limits free speech and impose vague standards that disadvantage all groups who wish to advocate on behalf of any legislative issue, specifically requiring them to disclose the names of donors who donate above a certain threshold.
- Weaponizes the IRS by permitting the agency to investigate and consider the political and policy persuasions of organizations before granting tax-exempt status.
