House blocks DC bill that would let illegal immigrants vote

On Thursday, the GOP-led House of Representatives passed a resolution blocking a bill that allows illegal immigrants to vote in local elections within Washington, DC.

In October 2022, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the DC Act 24-640, or the District of Columbia Council’s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which gave legal non-citizens and illegal immigrants voting rights in the nation's capital. DC City Council transmitted the bill to Congress on January 11, 2023.

According to the Daily Caller, the House of Representatives passed a resolution striking the measure down in a 260-162 vote. The resolution still has to pass the Democrat-led Senate and receive President Biden's signature to fully prevent the local DC bill from becoming law. 

According to the Daily Caller, legislation was introduced in January by Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Ted Cruz to prevent the local DC bill from being enacted. The measure prohibited "any federal funds from being used by the District to allow non-citizens to vote in any election" and required "DC to certify that it does not allow non-citizens to vote for application or receipt of federal funds."

Cruz told the Daily Caller, "Allowing non-citizens, including aliens occupying our nation illegally, to exercise a right reserved for American citizens not only violates the constitutional principles our nation was founded upon, but also naively invites foreign meddling in our elections."

Cruz added, "Voting is a privilege and the tool by which American citizens exercise their say in who leads our country, how we spend our tax dollars, and what policies should be instituted. I am vehemently against unconstitutionally cheapening the votes of American citizens and ignoring the rule of law in this nation."

According to a statement from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, "The Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act disenfranchises American citizens and could have a ripple effect across other large US cities. To add insult to injury, this legislation makes no exception for foreign nationals or diplomats. This means that representatives from other countries, including agents of the Chinese Communist Party, can vote in DC elections.

In July of 2022 after Texas Governor Greg Abbott started bussing illegal immigrants out of his state and into "sanctuary cities," Bowser complained about the influx of migrants into DC and declared a public emergency in September to handle the increase.