Senate Republicans Explore Voter ID Legislation
Top Senate Republicans are looking into ways to initiate support for a voter ID bill backed by President Trump by introducing partisan legislation before the year’s end.
For nearly a month, the Senate has been discussing the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. However, without Democratic support to break the filibuster, its chances of passing are slim.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) proposes that parts of the voter ID and citizenship verification measures be included in a budget reconciliation package, which would only need Republican votes to move forward.
“There are limits to what a deal can be, but we plan to make a down payment on the SAVE Act during the fall settlement,” Graham mentioned on a South Carolina radio program. As the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, he is responsible for shaping the Senate’s reconciliation framework. He intends to meet with the White House soon to accelerate the process.
However, reconciliation has specific rules; any provisions need to impact the budget or spending to stay in the package. If they’re deemed unrelated, they will be removed.
Graham believes a solution is possible. He elaborated on his vision for the Voter Integrity Act, indicating plans for a grant program that would have significant requirements. “To access these grants, we need to ensure illegal immigrant registries are cleared. Some blue states don’t do that. We’re aiming to establish as many voter ID systems as we can,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump and conservatives are urging the Senate to either initiate a filibuster on the SAVE America Act or eliminate the filibuster altogether. Yet, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has emphasized that there isn’t enough backing for such a move.
Currently, debate is paused as lawmakers take a break for Easter, but the intention is to spotlight Senate Democrats’ opposition to the voter ID policy, which surveys suggest is broadly supported across party lines.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently claimed that Democrats’ rejection of the SAVE America Act stems from concerns over voter suppression. “Our issue is that this is a voter suppression bill. Likely millions will find themselves off the rolls when they come to vote,” Schumer stated.
Graham’s measures could potentially pass under Senate rules, yet a second settlement is expected in the fall as midterm elections approach, although it remains uncertain if it will be enacted by November. He is also contemplating anti-fraud provisions within the reconciliation package.
Prior to that, Graham and his colleagues aim to secure funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under a reconciliation bill that they hope to have ready by June 1. Senate Republicans are largely united on this front, arguing that Democrats are neglecting necessary immigration enforcement funding unless tough reforms are accepted, which they claim have been proposed and rejected by Democrats.
Nonetheless, House Republicans are not fully on board and their dissent could prolong what could become the longest government shutdown in history. They have raised concerns about the Senate’s current DHS funding bill, which only partially finances ICE and CBP. They demand tangible progress on the reconciliation bill before agreeing to a compromise.
“I intend to draft a reconciliation bill without any Democratic votes, focusing solely on funding for ICE and Border Patrol, aiming to provide them with support for three to ten years as much as I can include,” Graham asserted. “We’re set on funding Border Patrol and ICE through Republican votes alone.”
