Spending deal includes $425M for election security

The spending deal agreed upon by House and Senate negotiators includes $425 million for states to improve their election security, two congressional sources confirmed to The Hill early Monday.

The appropriations deal also includes a requirement for states to match 20 percent of the federal funds, meaning the eventual amount given to election officials to improve election security would reach $510 million.

The federal funds set to be given to states through the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) represent a compromise between the amounts separately offered by the House and Senate earlier this year for election security purposes.

The House included $600 million for election security efforts in its version of the fiscal 2020 Financial Services and General Government Bill, which the chamber passed earlier this year.

In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee included $250 million for election security in its version of the same bill, an amount that had bipartisan support and was backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The two chambers disagreed, however, over how the funds could be used, with the House requiring states to use the money for specific election security improvements such as replacing equipment and the Senate allowing a broader use of the funds.