Ranking Member Klobuchar Statement in Response to the President’s Tweet

Klobuchar: “The President’s tweet amounts to a ransom note. In the middle of a pandemic, he wants to hold our democracy hostage.” 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, issued the following statement in response to tweets from President Trump on funding for vote-by-mail.

“The President’s tweet amounts to a ransom note. In the middle of a pandemic, he wants to hold our democracy hostage. Expanding access to voting by mail and early voting is not a partisan issue. Following my push to get states funding, Congress passed $400 million in emergency election resources to help states make it safe to vote during a global pandemic. Now more than ever, we need a plan to make sure no American has to choose between their health and casting a ballot.”

In March, Klobuchar and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 which now has 35 other co-sponsors, to expand early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee mail voting to all states and provide states the funding and resources to improve the safety of elections during the coronavirus pandemic.

In April, Klobuchar wrote an op-ed in the New York Times on the need to expand mail voting, early voting, and online voter registration. In March, Klobuchar and Wyden wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post, highlighting the need “to protect the foundation of our democracy by ensuring that every eligible American can safely cast a ballot in the upcoming elections.”

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