Chris Van Hollen: “yesterday, I went to the Senate floor to ask unanimous consent on the DETER Act, bipartisan legislation that I authored…”

“yesterday, I went to the Senate floor to ask unanimous consent on the DETER Act, bipartisan legislation that I authored alongside Senator Rubio that is languishing in the Senate legislative graveyard. The DETER Act is absolutely critical to protect our democracy from foreign interference. It serves a clear, simple, and essential purpose. It says to Russia and any other foreign power that, if they interfere in our elections and undermine the integrity of our democracy, they will face severe consequences in the form of tough sanctions. Foreign interference in our elections remains as critical a threat as ever. That is why, on November 5, seven U.S. Federal agencies jointly stated, ``Russia, China, Iran, and other foreign malicious actors all will seek to interfere in the voting process or influence voter perceptions. Adversaries may try to accomplish their goals through a variety of means, including social media campaigns, directing disinformation operations, or conducting disruptive or destructive cyberattacks on state and local infrastructure.'' The Senate endorsed the inclusion of this bill in this year's National Defense Authorization Act, unanimously passing a resolution in the fall instructing NDAA conferees to include such a provision in the conference report. However, the Republican leadership has stonewalled the inclusion of this bill in the NDAA.…”