House Republicans on Wednesday passed a bill that would require voters to prove their U.S. citizenship in order to vote in federal elections. Democrats and voting rights advocates blasted the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act. This is progressive Congressmember Summer Lee speaking from the House floor.

Rep. Summer Lee: “Let me be clear: They don’t want you to vote. They don’t want to hear Black voices, Brown voices, LGBTQIA voices, young voices. Our fundamental access to our democracy is being politicized. And this xenophobic attack that we’re debating today will make it harder for Americans to vote. My Republican colleagues will claim that requiring IDs is a small ask, but nearly 30 million people lack a valid driver’s license, and about 15 to 18 million adults don’t have access to documents proving their birth or citizenship. Americans don’t need more obstacles. It’s already hard enough.”

Summer Lee has introduced the Right to Vote Act, which would enshrine federal protections on voting and prevent Republicans from pushing such voter suppression measures.