WASHINGTON — A push by Republicans to pass legislation seeking to further ensure people who are not citizens of the U.S. cannot vote in federal elections is receiving heightened focus on Capitol Hill this week, with one member of the House GOP attempting to tie it to the funding fight to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

What You Need To Know

  • A push by Republicans to pass legislation seeking to further ensure people who are not citizens of the U.S. cannot vote in federal elections is receiving heightened focus on Capitol Hill this week

  • Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is seeking to tie it to the government funding fight to avoid a partial shutdown

  • The Save Act, originally introduced in this session of Congress more than a year ago by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, aims to ensure a person is required to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote 
  • And Luna’s pledge comes as this week, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced an updated version of the bill – now called the “SAVE America Act” – that includes a new requirement that voters “present an eligible photo identification document before voting"

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., took to X on Thursday to declare that she was locking up support among her House Republican colleagues for her effort to attach the Save Act to any funding legislation Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York sends back to the House. The Republican-led Senate Friday was in the process of seeking to pass legislation to fund the government, a task that became a battle this week as Democrats sought changes around Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the shootings of two people in Minnesota this month. The House would have to pass legislation that makes it out of the Senate. 

“If Schumer shuts the government down, the price to reopen will be the SAVE Act,” Luna said in her post. “If Schumer decides to keep the government open, they will still be forced to vote on the SAVE Act.”

The Save Act, originally introduced in this session of Congress more than a year ago by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, aims to ensure a person is required to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and directs states to “remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters” as well as establish a program to identify anyone on their rolls who is not a citizen.

Federal law already prohibits people who are not citizens of the country from voting, but Republicans have made the issue a central focus of what they say is their push for shoring up election integrity in America. 

And Luna’s pledge comes as this week, Roy and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced an updated version of the bill – now called the “SAVE America Act” – that includes a new requirement that voters “present an eligible photo identification document before voting.” In a post on X announcing the “new and improved” legislation, Lee said the changes came specifically at the direction of President Donald Trump.

“The SAVE America Act makes our original SAVE Act better,” Roy and Lee added in a press release on the updated bill. “President Trump rightly believes we should include Voter ID in this bill as we make a renewed push to secure our elections and protect the rights of American voters.” 

Trump, who still frequently falsely declares he won the 2020 election, has been vocal about his push for a national voter ID law, including in a post on Truth Social just this week.

Voter identification laws and what exactly is required varies by state. 

Amid the movement on the issue this week, several Republican senators took to X to declare their support for the sentiment, with Lee declaring Thursday that “Nearly every GOP member of the U.S. Senate has now co-sponsored the SAVE ACT” in response to a post from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, saying he was officially signing on. 

“I hv long supported voter ID & ensuring only citizens vote in our elections which is why I’m now a cosponsor of the SAVE Act,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote in a post on Thursday. 

The Save Act introduced by Roy last year passed the GOP-led House months ago and Luna last week threatened to seek to shut down the floor of the House when it returns in February if the Senate does not schedule a vote on the legislation by then.

Asked about the bill this week, Senate Republican Leader John Thune of South Dakota expressed support for the sentiment and pointed to the updated version coming out that includes the voter ID rule. 

“At some point, we’ll have that vote,” he said, adding “it hasn’t had consideration in the relevant committee yet.” 

Some Democrats and voting rights groups have pushed back on the Save Act, warning it could disenfranchise eligible voters. 

“The SAVE Act is yet another attempt by Donald Trump and the complicit GOP to erode the foundations of American democracy by undermining its most essential pillar: the right to vote,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said at an event alongside New York voting rights groups shortly after the bill passed the House. “This bill threatens same-day registration, early voting, and automatic voter registration in a deliberate effort to disenfranchise millions of legal American voters, making it as difficult as possible for many to cast their ballots.”