H.R. 1 Veto Threat Includes Opposition to Election Measures

The White House released a statement today saying that it opposes passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019, including opposition to online voter registration and ethics reforms. “The bill would also require States to adopt online registration, same-day registration, and automatic voter registration, thus imposing a one-size-fits-all standard for weighing the competing values of voter access and voting integrity,” the statement notes. On the issue of ethics, the administration expressed its concern with “well-intentioned but misguided ethics reforms for government officials,” raising concerns over the changes hurting the ability to “hire and retain an experienced and knowledgeable workforce.” H.R. 1 includes stronger restrictions on Federal personnel leaving to work at private-sector companies that were involved their government work. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last week H.R. 1 would send end up sending $1.5 billion to states over the next five years to purchase new voting technology.