Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned states on Friday they must cooperate with DHS on election security measures or their federal funding will be yanked.
“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to work or to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security issues,” he said.
Those requirements include making sure voting machines are secure and voter rolls are scrubbed of non-citizens, deceased individuals, and others who are ineligible to vote.
Specifically Mullin was referring to $1 billion of taxpayer funds available to state, Tribal Nations, territorial, and local governments for security measures. These funds are distributed at the discretion of Homeland Security.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis
Some states have already been notified about security concerns.
Homeland Security sent letters to four states – California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania – to warn them they have thousands of non-citizens on their voter rolls.
“We’re not trying to change the outcome. We’re trying to make sure that American people can trust our voting system,” Mullin said of the election-related measures.
Mullin was following up on President Trump’s address to the nation on Thursday night where the president claimed China interfered in the 2020 election because Beijing didn’t want him to spend a second term in office.
Trump also used his remarks to push for passage of the Save America Act. The legislation would require Americans to prove their citizenship when registering to vote and to show photo identification.
The president, however, has added a host of other provisions to the legislation, including a section to ban most mail voting, banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, and restricting transgender medical treamtments for minors.
The legislation has passed the House of Representatives but is stuck in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he doesn’t have 60 votes necessary to move the bill through the legislative process and some of that resistance is from Republicans.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) has been vocal in his opposition, arguing states do not have time to implement its measures before November’s midterm election.
“I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
“What we’re going to do if we continue down this path is to convince the American people that you can’t count on your election results,” he noted. “And that is dangerous. That is irresponsible.”
Trump argues the Save America Act is essential for protecting elections.
“Our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American people was lost. This cannot be allowed to continue,” he said Thursday night.
Mullin expressed sympathy for Thune’s predicament.
“John is a good friend of mine,” Mullin, a former senator, said. “I think the Save Act should be passed tomorrow. I think it should have already been passed. There’s no excuse for it not being passed. However, he has a vote problem.”
Mullin noted Thune supported the Save America Act but can’t control individual senators.
“Everybody controls their own card,” he said.
