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AP18:119

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2018
Contact:
Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla Statement on House Republicans Refusal to Approve Election Cybersecurity Funding

SACRAMENTO – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla issued the following statement after House Republicans refused to approve additional funding for states to improve election cybersecurity.

“This week President Trump’s disgraceful display with Vladimir Putin shocked the world and undermined our nation’s intelligence agencies and election officials across the country. Today, House Republicans inexplicably rejected election security funding that would further protect and modernize our nation’s election infrastructure. Protecting the integrity of our elections and ensuring confidence in our elections should never succumb to partisan politics – but that’s exactly what happened today."

"While the November General Election is approaching quickly, and many states are left utilizing aging voting systems, House Republicans joined the President in failing to act urgently to defend against ongoing Russian threats to interfere in our elections. It took Congress until 2018 to fully appropriate funds approved in response to the 2000 election debacle. We cannot afford to wait decades to invest in election cybersecurity. The threats have never been greater.”

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