Exclusive — Heritage Foundation: Chuck Schumer Using January 6 to Seize ‘Permanent Power’ by Breaking Filibuster

Sean MoranJanuary 5, 2022

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said in a joint statement Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is using the anniversary of January 6 to seize “permanent” political power, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.

Roberts and Anderson released their joint statement after Schumer signaled that he will seek to change the Senate’s filibuster rules to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would mandate that states have early and mail-in voting. They said that Schumer continues to use the anniversary of the January 6 protests as the basis for passing anti-voter legislation, such as the Freedom to Vote Act.

The Heritage Foundation and Action leaders commended state leaders for enacting legislation to ensure the integrity of America’s elections and combat election fraud.

Anderson and Roberts said, “In 2021, state lawmakers ushered in smart and transparent election integrity reforms, making it easy to vote and hard to cheat. This work should be commended, as voter integrity and trust in our elections are the bedrock of our American democracy. Instead, the liberal elite spent all of 2021 creating a false narrative of voter disenfranchisement and suppression as Democrat leaders and the media tried to convince Americans reforms such as voter ID were racist.”

In a letter to his Democrat colleagues this week, Schumer described states’ voter integrity bills as “anti-democratic”:

Republican officials in states across the country have seized on the former president’s Big Lie about widespread voter fraud to enact anti-democratic legislation and seize control of typically non-partisan election administration functions. While these actions all proceed under the guise of so-called “election integrity”, the true aim couldn’t be more clear. They want to unwind the progress of our Union, restrict access to the ballot, silence the voices of millions of voters, and undermine free and fair elections. They wish to propagate the Big Lie perpetuated by the former president that our elections are not on the level.

Make no mistake about it: this week Senate Democrats will make clear that what happened on January 6th and the one-sided, partisan actions being taken by Republican-led state legislatures across the country are directly linked, and we can and must take strong action to stop this anti- democratic march.

Heritage Action has been at the forefront of election integrity; the conservative grassroots organization announced in March 2021 a $1 million initial investment to strengthen Georgia’s election laws and restore Georgians’ confidence in its elections.

The conservative organization subsequently released many television ad buys dispelling the leftist and establishment media myths about the election integrity bill, SB 202:

[embedded content]

Heritage Action released a fact check on the common myths about the Georgia election law.

President Joe Biden and Schumer’s distortions about the bill were even declared false by the Washington Post and Politifact.

Anderson and Roberts said that Schumer’s move to pass the anti-voter legislation by busting the filibuster would enhance Schumer’s power.

“However, the American people did not buy into their lies, and Democrat leaders in Washington have now pivoted to the anniversary of January 6. Senator Schumer and his cronies are now using the events of last January as a means to accomplish their never-ending goal of permanent power,” the Heritage leaders remarked. “Disguised as a ‘voting rights’ bill, Schumer’s anti-voter agenda is nothing more than an attempt to take power away from the American people and forever undermine the integrity of our elections.”

Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have warned that breaking the filibuster would diminish the constitutional role of the Senate.

Lee warned that ending the filibuster would turn the Senate into a “Lord of the Flies”-style institution.

“This proposed legislation will give Washington bureaucrats power over our election systems and throw out measures like voter ID in every state — a common-sense measure that is continually supported by over 80% of the American people,” the Heritage leaders added.

They concluded in their statement, “Americans want voter integrity, and they know the Left’s partisan narrative has nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with rigging the rules to keep Democrats in power to pass their agenda without our support.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.