McCarthy warns Democrat-backed HR 1 is Pelosi power grab meant to erode election confidence

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Sunday that the Democrat-backed H.B. 1 will destroy election confidence and serves as a power grab for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, effectively destroying America if the sweeping election reform bill passes next month.

"No, I don't have the most to lose: The American public have the most to lose because we would lose our freedom," McCarthy, R-Calif., said on Fox News Channel’s "Sunday Morning Futures." "When you put a bill into Congress, the majority party reserves the first numbers. This is H.R. 1, so this is most important for Nancy Pelosi to hold on to her power."

EVERY HOUSE DEMOCRAT SIGNS ON SWEEPING HR 1, GOP ARGUES IT WOULD 'UNDERMINE' ELECTION INTEGRITY 

Every House Democrat last week signed onto the sweeping election reform bill H.R. 1 – also known as the For the People Act – saying it will expand voting rights and "clean up corruption" in politics. But Republicans have ripped it as a "federal government takeover" and accuse Democrats of trying to change election rules to benefit themselves.

The bill is expected to be considered on the House floor during the first week of March.

"What we have to do is, people lose their confidence in elections, you'll break society down and we will lose America as we know it," McCarthy said, addressing host Maria Bartiromo. "We know that there's a real question, one of the confidence in the last election.

"Going forward, what you have to do is exactly this: You have to clean up the rolls. ...  You have to sue to make sure you clean up the rolls. We've got to make sure there's integrity."

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McCarthy then took a jab at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s facing a strengthening recall campaign likely to make the ballot this fall. He said the governor would be more likely to verify the identifies of those who sign the recall petitions than those who vote in his state. 

"There's a recall going on in California. I will guarantee you that Gavin Newsom makes sure that they're checking the IDs of who signs that recall more than they're checking the IDs of who's voting in California," McCarthy said. "You can't have a mass ballot mailing to people who don't even request it when these rolls are so bad.

"I think showing an ID. to get on an airplane. Yeah, I could do that. I can also show an ID to vote because in California, it's just like what they're doing in the COVID bill. They now want to give vaccines to immigrants, illegal immigrants who are coming in, before giving them to Americans in San Francisco," he continued. "If you're illegal, you can vote in a school board race. They want people to be able to vote who are not Americans. We need to have integrity and accountability and elections that people will trust at the end of the day. And that's why we have to have reforms and that's why H.R. 1 should be voted down."

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McCarthy also claimed that out of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus package, 91% goes toward non-COVID related agenda items, arguing "socialists are taking back the swamp."