House, Senate Republicans revive Trump-backed efforts to crack down on non-citizen voting
First up is Fox: Republicans in the House and Senate are renewing their push to crack down on noncitizen voting in federal elections, reintroducing a bipartisan bill Republicans touted repeatedly last year.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, are reintroducing the Securing American Voters Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to ensure non-citizens cannot vote in federal elections.
While only citizens can vote in federal elections, Republicans claim this is impossible to enforce because noncitizens and illegal immigrants are eligible for state driver’s licenses and other benefits, which could result in them being registered to vote.
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People arrive to vote during early voting. (Christopher Mark Ewan/Anadolu, Getty Images)
The bill requires states to obtain in person documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and status when registering individuals to vote. It also requires states to develop a plan to remove noncitizens from voter rolls and allow citizens to sue officials who fail to comply with the law.
The bill passed the House last year, with five Democrats voting in favor, but stalled in the Senate — where the Democratic-controlled House passed a spending bill without including the SAVE Act as Republicans had hoped. . President Biden has promised to veto the bill.
The bill has grown in importance among Republicans amid a surge in immigrants entering the United States during the Biden administration and recent announcements by states that they have identified thousands of noncitizens.
But now that Republicans control the Senate and soon the White House, President-elect Trump has expressed support for legislation to prevent non-citizens from voting.
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“Republicans must pass the RESPONSE Act or go home and cry themselves to sleep,” he said in July.
“America’s elections belong to American citizens, and public confidence in those elections is a cornerstone of our republic,” Roy, who introduced the bill in the House alongside New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino, said.
“We in Congress have a responsibility to provide this confidence to our fellow citizens. We must develop concrete enforcement mechanisms to ensure that our elections and sovereignty are not hijacked and affected by foreigners who have no right to vote in this country,” he said.
Rep. Chip Roy has nominated Rep. Jim Jordan to serve as speaker ahead of the third House vote on January 3, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The House passed this critical bipartisan bill last year—and we must do it again. I look forward to working with the Republican Senate to get this policy to President Trump,” he said.
Lee said public trust in the integrity of elections is “absolutely critical to the legitimacy of our democratic institutions.”
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“The vast majority of our fellow citizens agree: Only American citizens should be able to register and vote in American elections. The SAVE Act gives states the ability to prevent illegal voter registration and protect the ballot box from foreign election interference,” he said.
At the same time, Garbarino criticized New York City for allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections and ignoring the principle that American citizens decide elections.
“The SAVE Act preserves the integrity of our elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, ensuring that this fundamental right belongs only to U.S. citizens,” he said.
The bill also has support from groups such as the Referendum Only Coalition, Tea Party Patriot Action and the Immigration Accountability Project. It has 59 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. The bill was introduced in the House on Friday and is expected to be introduced in the Senate next week.
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The bill comes as Congress is expected to make immigration-related issues a top priority. On Tuesday, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants convicted of theft-related crimes. It also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security alleging their citizens have been harmed by illegal immigration.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
