Goldman Leads 47 Democrats In Push To Safeguard Election Integrity, Ban Use Of DHS Funding To Seize Election Infrastructure

Push Follows Raid Of Fulton County Election Office, Trump Suggestion That Republicans Should “Take Over” Elections 

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Dan Goldman is leading 47 Democrats in calling on leadership of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security to include language in the Fiscal Year 2027 Homeland Security Appropriations bill that explicitly prohibits the use of funds for the seizure, collection, retention, or analysis of voting machines, equipment, or voter records. The push follows disturbing comments from President Trump and administration officials regarding the seizure of voting machines and federal takeover of elections, including a suggestion from President Trump that Republicans should “take over” elections and “nationalize the voting” in the United States. 

“We have serious and well-founded concerns about the Administration’s intention to illegally seize election infrastructure throughout this country, and believe it is our duty as Congress to act without hesitation,” wrote the lawmakers. 

In early January 2026, President Trump expressed regret over not having directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to seize voting machines in the wake of the 2020 Presidential election. Days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a raid on a Fulton County election center in Georgia based on widely debunked claims. Most recently, the Washington Post reported the circulation of a 17-page draft executive order among Trump allies and the White House that would declare a national emergency and, in part, direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to coordinate with the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence in the seizure of election systems, equipment and materials. 

The lawmakers are calling for the prohibition of funding appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection being used for the seizure, collection, retention, or analysis of voting machines, equipment, electronically stored information, and material records. They are also requesting a full report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation of the Fulton County election center.

The full text of the letter is available here or below: 

Dear Chairman Amodei and Ranking Member Cuellar:

As you begin consideration of the Fiscal Year 2027 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, we urge the committee to include language in the bill prohibiting the use of funds for the seizure, collection, retention, or analysis of voting machines, equipment, electronically stored information, and material records required for retention under section 301 of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (52 U.S.C. 20701). We have serious and well-founded concerns about the Administration’s intention to illegally seize election infrastructure throughout this country, and believe it is our duty as Congress to act without hesitation.

Since the 2020 election, President Trump and many Administration officials have made disturbing comments regarding the seizure of voting machines and federal takeover of elections. In early January 2026, President Trump expressed regret over not having directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to seize voting machines in the wake of the 2020 Presidential election. Only days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a raid on a Fulton County election center in Georgia based on widely debunked claims by a former Trump campaign lawyer. The raid was followed by comments from the President, in which he suggested that Republicans should “take over” elections and “nationalize the voting” in the United States. 

Most recently, the Washington Post reported the circulation of a 17-page draft executive order among Trump allies and the White House that would declare a national emergency and, in part, direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to coordinate with the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence in the seizure of election systems, equipment and materials. 

As you work to develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we urge the committee to include the following bill language in its FY27 appropriations bill:

Provided further, the funding appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall not be used in carrying out the seizure, collection, retention, or analysis of voting machines, equipment, electronically stored information, and material records required for retention under section 301 of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (52 U.S.C. 20701).

Further, we have serious concerns about the basis of the FBI raid on the Georgia election center, and therefore, we urge the committee to include the following report language in its FY27 appropriations bill:

Report on FBI’s Fulton County Election Center Raid.—Not later than 60 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General, shall submit a report to the Committees on Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Senate that includes all information related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation of the Fulton County election center. The report shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but the portions of the report may contain a classified annex if such annex is provided separately from the unclassified report.

Thank you for your consideration on this urgent matter. 

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