Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are asking Congress to add $300 million to the proposed budget "to respond to the inevitable Russian efforts to influence the upcoming 2018 elections," per the Democrats' letter.
Why it matters: The White House has not laid out a plan for preventing election interference in the future, even as CIA Director Mike Pompeo has warned that Russians are already attempting to do so this year.
The details:
- This comes less than a week after Bob Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities for interfering in the 2016 election.
- Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also signed the letter.
- The financial increase would help the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Election Assistance Commission in their efforts to improve election infrastructure.
- The Congressional group suggests that these departments work together to help "replace outdated registration and voting systems; and ensure procedures are in place to accurately count every ballot."
- Paul Ryan's spokeswoman AshLee Strong told Axios: “The bipartisan House Intel Committee has conducted a year-long review into Russia meddling in the 2016 elections. This review, along with the Senate Intel and FBI investigations, will inform lawmakers on ways to protect the 2018 election."
