WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 09: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Vice Chairwoman of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, delivers opening remarks during a hearing on the January 6th investigation on Capitol Hill on June 9, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol for almost a year, will present its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Zoe Lofgren (D-California) introduced a bill on Monday in a bipartisan effort to prevent anything like the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack from happening again.
“Our proposal is intended to preserve the rule of law for all future presidential elections by ensuring that self-interested politicians cannot steal from the people the guarantee that our government derives its power from the consent of the governed,” Cheney and Lofgren wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, which was published on Sunday. “We look forward to working with our colleagues in the House and the Senate toward this goal.”
The bill will head to the floor as soon as Wednesday.
If passed, the proposed legislation will clarify the Vice President’s role in the counting of electoral votes. Former President Donald Trump and his allies sought to exploit then-Vice President Mike Pence‘s role, asking him to reject certain electors. The bill would make clear that the vice president’s role does not include rejecting electors, delaying the count or having a say on procedural rulings.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
“The 12th Amendment is straightforward; it simply requires counting,” Cheney and Lofgren wrote.
The legislation would also, increase the threshold needed to object to elections from just one member to one-third of the House and one-third of the Senate.
The bill also specifies who can object to a state’s certification. Currently, anyone can do that, but if the House bill is passed, only the candidates for president and vice president will be able to.
Cheney and Lofgren’s bill is more restrictive than the Senate’s proposed reform of the Electoral Count Act. The Senate’s version, for example, only requires one-fifth of each chamber to bring a vote for the objection of electors.
Former President Donald Trump has agreed to the upcoming ABC debate against Vice President Kamala…
Over 200 alumni from previous Republican campaigns have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in…
A Republican mega-donor recently gave an additional $50 million to a super PAC that supports…
Former President Jimmy Carter is hoping he can vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the…
A new report by House GOP members accused President Joe Biden of impeachable conduct but…
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke about the campaigns led by Vice President Kamala Harris (D)…