The SAVE America Act, a bill sponsored by US Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) that would require proof of citizenship to participate in US elections, will come up for a vote in the Senate after a renewed campaign brought 48 Republican co-sponsors to the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Wednesday, January 28, he has co-sponsored the SAVE Act in the past, but this bill had some modifications:
“At some point, we’ll have that vote. I’m for it. I think most of our colleagues in the Senate are… It hasn’t had consideration in the relevant committee yet, but I know there’s a high level of interest among our members in getting a vote on the SAVE Act.”
This comes after conservative political activist Scott Pressler mounted a pressure campaign, calling on senators to co-sponsor the bill and calling Leader Thune every day since January 1. It worked. Pressler appeared twice on FOX News in two weeks to plead his case to lawmakers. “My warning to Members of Congress that are not willing to pass election reform at the federal level — which is constitutional: Either Republicans provide for proof of citizenship & photo voter ID OR it’s very likely that Republican voters will NOT come out on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 & we very likely could lose the House of Representatives & Senate seats in Alaska, Maine, & North Carolina,” he said on Friday.
The GOP can only afford to lose four seats in the Senate and still be able to claim a majority using Vice President JD Vance as a tiebreaker. Pressler called for senators who vote against the act to explain on the floor why they are against it.
New Provision, New Name: SAVE America Act
Sen. Lee and US Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) on Thursday announced they introduced the SAVE America Act, a modified version of their older SAVE Act. Lee posted a video of himself walking the new bill into the Senate to re-file it with the new name. “We’ve added a voter ID provision, as he suggested,” Lee explained. “And also, as President Trump suggested, we’ve renamed the SAVE Act. It’s now called the SAVE America Act because that’s what it will do. This is necessary to save America, to save our voting system, to protect American security. We truly do save America. Let’s get this passed.”
The bill would require people who want to vote to present an eligible photo identification document before voting. It preserves the requirements for states to obtain proof of US citizenship in person when registering anyone to vote, and for states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
More than ten million illegal aliens poured into the US under the Biden administration. Many states allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses and other state benefits, which help facilitate opportunities to illegally register to vote in federal elections. In California, DC, Maryland, and Vermont, non-citizens are allowed to vote in local elections.
Just a few hours before the government partially shut down on January 31 over DHS funding, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) posted on X: “It’s time to fight for America. The Left will NEVER fund DHS & ICE. If House Republicans don’t put the DHS bill back in, add the SAVE America Act & remove the wasteful earmarks, Democrats win. We must protect our homeland, secure our elections & end the reckless spending NOW!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said he hopes the chamber will vote this week to pass the Senate-passed funding package and reopen the government. On January 23, US Rep Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posted on X – and pinned her post – promising to halt proceedings on the House floor if the Senate does not pass the SAVE Act and/or schedule a vote before the chamber returns. Luna said she had “enough votes from other members to shut down the floor of the House.”
On Friday, Luna posted again, saying: “I am a hard no and will never vote for this. I am not voting for any of these appropriations unless the SAVE Act is included. The SAVE Act / SAVE AMERICA ACT will fail in the Senate if it is not attached to an appropriations bill or if THUNE does not remove the filibuster. They know this. Members of Congress know this. STOP BEING WEAKLINGS! EITHER YOU INCLUDE VOTER ID ON THE RULE GOING TO THE SENATE OR I AM A NO ON RULES.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) says he will join Luna in blocking votes to force a vote on the SAVE America Act. If Luna and other Republicans succeed, it would prolong the current partial government shutdown. That would mark the second time in four months that lawmakers shut down the government over illegal aliens – either over providing them healthcare, blocking funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, or blocking a bill that would keep illegal aliens from voting in federal elections and purge them from states’ voting rolls.
