Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have just a handful of legislative days left before their August recess to advance spending bills, nominations, or any other political priorities.
President Donald Trump on Monday again pushed lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act, which would reform U.S. elections by requiring Americans to provide ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote.
"We need Voter Photo ID (Identification!), Proof of Citizenship and, hopefully, No Corrupt Mail In Ballots (except for illness, disability, Military, or travel)," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES this week on the Budget Resolution, which is an important first step towards getting a Budget Bill. House Republicans must UNIFY, and fight for THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!"
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Only Republican lawmakers have voiced support for the bill. No Democrats have been willing to cross the aisle — not even moderates like Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
"Until I see evidence that over a quarter of a million migrants are registered to vote, then yeah that would make me reconsider some of these things," Fetterman said over the weekend. "But there's no evidence and I don't expect that we'll see any of that."
"I don't know why the president is dragging up all this stuff," he added. "You're the president. Do something positive. And you're talking about 2020 — that's been settled over six years ago."
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The SAVE America Act could potentially pass in the House, but it does not currently have enough support to make it through the Senate. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has raised concerns about it curbing mail-in voting, particularly in her state of Maine.
Therefor, it appears unlikely the SAVE America Act will gain congressional approval this week. When lawmakers return in September, passing government funding bills to prevent a government shutdown will likely be the top priority. That timeline leaves little room to get the SAVE America Act across the finish line before the midterm elections.
