Key panel approving $250 million for election security

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Senate panel is approving $250 million to help states beef up their election systems, freeing up the money after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came under criticism from Democrats for impeding separate election security legislation.

The Kentucky Republican announced Thursday in a floor speech in advance of an Appropriations Committee vote that he would support the funding, claiming the Trump administration has “made enormous strides” in protecting the nation’s voting infrastructure.

The committee’s top Democrat, Patrick Leahy, said “funding election security grants is a matter of national security.”

An earlier version of a key spending measure did not include the money.