Senate Republicans launched a marathon floor takeover Tuesday night to force a public reckoning on the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. They say they’re not leaving until it passes.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) the bill’s Senate sponsor, set the tone late Tuesday. “This is our moment,” Lee said from the floor. “Stand for a simple principle; let the American people see who is willing to defend their sacred right to vote and who is not.” Lee made clear the GOP is prepared for weeks of debate. “We’re going to stay on this bill until it [removed] well passes, because the American people demand and deserve nothing less than that,” he said.
The procedural move kicked off what Senate Republican leaders predict could last several days, possibly stretching into weeks. The opening vote to begin debate passed, but without Democratic support the bill currently lacks the 60 votes needed to clear the filibuster threshold.
Republicans argue that noncitizen voting, though illegal, remains inadequately protected against under existing federal law and that the SAVE Act closes that loophole. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) who is leading an amendment package with additional changes requested by President Trump, kept the argument simple. “A republic has the right to distinguish citizens from noncitizens,” Schmitt said. “That should not be controversial. The vote is not a global entitlement. The vote is not a participation trophy for anyone who happens to cross our borders.”
Democrats pushed back hard. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) called the floor exercise a distraction. “Instead of focusing on the affordability crisis or trying to save us from endless wars, Senate Republicans are once again doing Donald Trump’s bidding,” Padilla said. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) argued that noncitizen voting is essentially nonexistent, claiming voters “are more likely to get struck by lightning” than encounter a noncitizen casting a ballot.
Merkley also quoted Trump’s own words to frame the bill as partisan gamesmanship. “‘You give me this bill, my party will win November and every other election for a long time to come,'” Merkley said, attributing the quote to Trump.
Lee and a group of conservatives have pressured Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to invoke the “talking filibuster,” which would eventually lower the passage threshold to a simple majority after weeks of continuous debate. Thune has not committed to the move, and some Republicans remain unwilling to unify behind it.
The debate ran past the Senate’s usual working hours Tuesday and is expected to continue Wednesday and beyond.
