SAVE America Act: Republicans launching voting bill debate in Senate
Republicans are launching an effort on Tuesday to hold talks on the Senate floor about voting legislation that would require stricter voter registration rules.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is attempting to navigate President Donald Trump’s push for the bill as he wants Congress to act before the midterm elections in November.
RELATED: SAVE America Act: Trump pushing to add ban on mail ballots
FILE_A voter uses a ballot drop box at the Bucks County Administration building voting on demand and ballot drop center in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on October 31, 2024. (Photo by Ed JONES / AFP) (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump is urging Thune to dispute the legislative filibuster, which sparks a 60-vote point in the 100-member Senate, or find another way to pass the bill, but Thune has stated he doesn’t have the votes to do that, the Associated Press reported.
Senate Republicans have a narrow majority that falls short of the 60 votes they would need to overcome a filibuster.
According to the AP, Trump has alleged that Democrats can only win in the midterms if they cheat and clearly said Republicans need the SAVE America Act to win in November. The House passed the bill earlier this year, but the Senate pivoted to other issues when it became clear that Republicans didn’t have the votes to pass the legislation.
Trump warned Republicans Tuesday in a Truth Social post that if they didn’t vote for the bill: "I will never (ever!) endorse anyone who votes against ‘Save America!!!’"
What is the SAVE America Act?
The backstory:
The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some states already demand.
The bill was already approved in the House on a mostly party-line vote, 218-213. President Donald Trump and Republicans say the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud.
RELATED: SAVE Act: How voter registration would change under proposed bill
The other side:
Experts noted that voter fraud is rare, and that very few noncitizens ever slip through the cracks. Opponents of the legislation also believe it would disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote.
Trump pushes voting bill
Dig deeper:
President Donald Trump told House Republicans during their annual retreat at his golf club in Florida that he doesn't think they will win the midterm elections unless voting laws are toughened up to prevent fraud. Trump wants to bolster the so-called SAVE America Act, which the House has already approved, and he pressed the Senate to push past its filibuster rules to send it to his desk.
Senate Republicans have a narrow majority that falls short of the 60 votes they would need to overcome a filibuster.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by previous FOX Local reporting and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.