August Pfluger: “I thank all those who have risen in support of this. Let's just think about it in simple terms. If we go back to our…”

“I thank all those who have risen in support of this. Let's just think about it in simple terms. If we go back to our constituents and tell them that Washington, D.C., is allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, they can't believe it. It has been said by several colleagues on the other side of the aisle that multiple States allowed noncitizens to vote. In the case of Texas, that was literally over 100 years ago, and we figured out it was not a good idea. It is absolutely ridiculous that this is even a thought. I said it a little bit ago, but Washington, D.C., is not exactly having an easy time with accountability. When you look at the crime rates, violent crime is spiking by 40 percent, and 2023 was the deadliest year on record here, with 274 people killed. Look at what Congress had to do, what President Biden signed into law, to maintain the penalties on violent offenders, specifically in carjackings, because the city council in Washington, D.C., decided to lessen those penalties. This Congress voted on that last year, and the President signed it into law. That is the kind of accountability that Americans are wanting. They want that accountability. To think that Americans are in favor of having noncitizens vote in Washington, D.C., is ludicrous. That is why this legislation is so important. Washington, D.C., should be the standard. It should be the standard. It is a unique case. It is a unique case in our country because it is not a State.…”