Exclusive: Chip Roy Fights D.C. Plan Allowing Foreigners to Vote by Introducing Bill Banning Funding

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit Washington, DC, from using federal funds to allow foreign nationals to vote in the city’s elections after the D.C. City Council approved a plan to permit such voting.

Roy’s bill, the House version of a bill introduced by fellow Texan Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), would require D.C. to certify that it does not allow those who are not American citizens to vote before the city could apply for or receive any federal funding, according to a copy of the bill’s text obtained by Breitbart News.

In a statement, Roy characterized the D.C. council’s measure as “insane and reckless.”

“The privilege and duty to vote in this Republic’s elections is, and should remain, reserved for citizens,” Roy said. “The D.C. Council’s recent effort to allow non-citizens to vote is just another example of the radical left’s insane and reckless governance of our nation’s capital, which has also precipitated riots, lawlessness, and a homelessness crisis in recent years.”

The text of Roy’s bill:

The City Council voted in October to allow the estimated 50,000 foreign nationals, including illegal immigrants, living in D.C. to vote in the city’s local elections. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has shown support for the council’s legislation and is expected to sign it.

The council’s move raised concerns not just from those who support leaving the right to vote to American citizens but also from those questioning how D.C., which holds local elections on the same day and on the same ballot as federal elections, would prevent foreign nationals from voting in federal elections, which is a crime.

The left-leaning Washington Post‘s editorial board called the council’s plan “more radical” than allowing green-card holders to vote and warned the ballot issue presented a “logistical nightmare.” The board ultimately urged D.C. not to move forward with the plan.

Roy said of his legislation, “It is high time for Congress to reassert its constitutional control over DC; that’s why I’m proud to work with my longtime friend Senator Cruz to restore common sense to its elections.”