Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the 49th anniversary of President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law:

“Forty-nine years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Building on our nation’s long history of progress on voting rights – including the Fifteenth Amendment, Nineteenth Amendment, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – the Voting Rights Act put in place important protections so that every American could exercise their right to vote.

“Unfortunately, these protections are under assault. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key component of the Voting Rights Act in the case of Shelby County v. Holder that enabled prior federal review to ensure non-discrimination before any new voting law went into effect. Since then, Republicans in numerous states have enacted voting law changes that could suppress the vote through discriminatory, burdensome voter ID requirements or restricting early voting periods.

“Democrats are committed to the legacy of the Voting Rights Act by fighting to ensure that every eligible voter can register, that every registered voter can vote, and that every vote is accurately counted. It is time for Congress to honor those who struggled for the civil rights movement by passing the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act and restoring the promise of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

Washington, DC – Today, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director, Rabbi Jack Moline released the followed joint statement in response to Rand Paul’s claim in Iowa that he never proposed ending foreign aid to Israel:

Rand Paul can’t pretend that he never proposed ending the United States’ financial support for Israel. In 2011, Paul introduced a budget that would have eliminated all foreign aid for Israel; he even bragged about his position in multiple interviews and called such aid “welfare” to a wealthy nation. He has also expressed a belief that a nuclear Iran would not pose a real threat to Israel or the United States. Sen. Paul can claim that he wants to be a friend of Israel, but the consequences of his actions would threaten the security of Israel and its ability to defend itself.

This is part of a troubling pattern with Senator Paul – from Civil Rights to foreign policy, Paul has said one disturbing thing after another for years and now that he’s running for President, he’s trying to rewrite history. Voters are smarter than that and can see right through his deceit.

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the House GOP’s continued inability to govern:

“As has been par for the course for the House of Representatives under Republican control, Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership have wasted taxpayer time and money on legislation that does nothing to address the critical issues facing our nation.

“With Congress preparing to depart for the August recess, the Republican House used that time to vote to sue the President and on Republican infighting. Congress had an opportunity to take action that would help American families, by focusing on things like creating more good paying jobs, passing the paycheck fairness act or reforming student loans. We could have passed comprehensive immigration reform, or at least fulfilled President Obama’s request for additional funding to address the border crisis and take care of the unaccompanied children fleeing to our borders. Instead, Republicans scrambled to get the votes for any bill to address this crisis– no matter how far-right they made it – and in the end passed a piece of legislation that has no chance of becoming law and doesn’t adequately address the crisis at the border. In fact, their bill could make the situation worse by setting arbitrary deadlines for deportation hearings and weakening due process for children. They also voted to gut the Deferred Action program that is currently giving DREAMers relief from deportation.

“As members return home to their districts, House Republicans’ display of incompetence and misplaced priorities will be fresh in the minds of their constituents, only helping Democrats make the case this November that it is the Democratic Party who is on the side of middle class families.”

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the House GOP:

“Republicans can’t sue the President one day, accusing him of executive overreach, and then the next day cynically request he take action where they’ve failed to do so. There should be no doubt that Republicans are concerned only with scoring political points and shifting blame for their failed do-nothing Republican Congress.

“By ceding control of the House agenda to “Speaker” Ted Cruz, the far-right Republicans have shown their true colors. If they truly cared about finding solutions to our broken immigration system, they could pass the bipartisan Senate bill or fund President Obama’s border request. Instead, their priority is to round up and deport kids, hurt the immigrant community at all costs, and stand in the way of any progress on actual reform.”

Washington, DC—Today the DNC and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin announced the hiring of Lillian Cheesman as the Wisconsin Voter Expansion Project State Director.  Cheesman joins a growing roster of Voter Expansion Project staff in key states as part of the DNC's ongoing commitment to increasing access to electoral participation.

“While Governor Walker and Republicans in Wisconsin continue to place unnecessary barriers between voters and the ballot box, Democrats are committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” said DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “As our voter expansion operation continues to grow, so does our ability to involve more Americans in the election process and help Democrats up and down the ballot win in November. We are happy to welcome Lillian to our team.”

“We know there are more Democrats than Republicans in Wisconsin, and the difference between four more years of Scott Walker's failed policies or a new direction with Mary Burke comes down to turning out as many of those votes as we can on Election Day,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “We're excited to have Lillian on our team to lead our voter expansion efforts and to protect access to the ballot in the face of Scott Walker's unprincipled attacks on the voting rights of veterans, seniors, and students.”

Cheesman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and a member of the Wisconsin Bar.  She currently serves as a Milwaukee County Election Commissioner. She is also a Statutory Committee Chair for the Milwaukee County Democratic Party and was a Voter Protection Team Volunteer for Organizing for America.