Approved – NV
.
Senate Republicans blocked three election security bills on Wednesday, marking the second time in as many days they’ve stymied legislation.
Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked for unanimous consent to pass three election-related bills.
But they were blocked by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who noted that the unsuccessful attempt was the latest by Democrats to pass election security bills in the Senate ahead of 2020.
“You know, it’s not a good sign if you’re doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Blackburn said.
Under Senate rules, any one senator can ask to vote on or pass a bill. But because it requires unanimous support, any one senator can also block their requests.
Election security has become a point of contention during the Trump era. House Democrats have passed several election-related bills, including a sweeping ethics and election reform measure, but they’ve hit a wall in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tried to pass legislation that would require campaign officials to report contacts with foreign nationals who are trying to make donations or coordinate with the campaign to the Federal Election Commission, which would notify the FBI.
“The alarm bells are going off and what are we doing? We’re running out of time to do something about it,” Warner said from the Senate floor.
Warner added that if a foreign government offers to interfere to help a campaign “the appropriate response is not to say thank you. The appropriate response is to call the FBI.”
macko
Article URL : https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/467130-senate-gop-blocks-three-election-security-bills-for-second-day