Latest News | Press Releases

President Biden Committed to Passing For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1)

Mar 01, 2021

The Office of Management and Budget released a statement today citing the Biden Administration’s support of passage of the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1). The Biden Administration’s support reflects the urgency to fix a broken Washington to give power back to the American people.

The House is expected to take up H.R. 1––a critical reform package to get dark money out of politics, crack down on corruption, protect voting rights and ensure elections are accurate––this week.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki: “The President is committed to protecting the fundamental right to vote and making it easier for all eligible Americans to vote. His campaign was about fighting for democracy and we’re going to fight for democracy in the White House. That’s why we need to pass reforms like H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and restore the Voting Rights Act. And he’s happy to see the House take up H.R. 1 this week.” 

“President Biden committed to supporting the For the People Act as a top priority during his campaign. He understands that Washington isn’t working and we need to reduce the influence of money in politics, crackdown on political corruption, ensure accurate elections, and protect voting rights. These common sense reforms will benefit all Americans. We will continue to work with members of Congress and the Administration to ensure this bill passed and signed into law,” said End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller.

The letter reads:
“The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021. In the wake of an unprecedented assault on our democracy, a never before seen effort to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the people, and a newly aggressive attack on voting rights taking place right now all across the country, this landmark legislation is urgently needed to protect the right to vote and the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen American democracy.

“H.R. 1 contains a number of provisions to protect the fundamental right to vote and make it more equitable and accessible for all Americans to exercise that right. H.R. 1 would reform redistricting to curtail the gerrymandering that distorts our democracy, and would modernize our elections and make them more secure. Consistent with the Administration’s commitment to racial equity, the bill would also expand the tools available to the Justice Department to enforce the voting rights of all Americans.

“H.R. 1 would also reform our campaign finance system to amplify the voices of the public, not the powerful, and establish stronger ethics rules for all three branches of government. These provisions would ensure that government works for the people and guard against corruption across the highest levels of government.

“As with any bill of this scope and complexity, the Administration looks forward to working with Congress to refine provisions of H.R. 1 as it proceeds through the legislative process to ensure that the bill achieves lasting reform consistent with Congress’ broad constitutional authority to strengthen our democracy.”

Click here to read the statement.

###