(Daily Signal)—Senior Democrat senators told The Daily Signal that voter citizenship and identification legislation backed by President Donald Trump—the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—has stalled amid unified Democrat opposition.
“I haven’t heard officially that it is dead, but it shows no signs of life,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D‑Conn., told The Daily Signal.
Democrats have repeatedly likened the measure to “Jim Crow 2.0” and argued it would disenfranchise voters.
Asked whether Trump and hard‑line conservatives could revive the bill ahead of the midterms, Blumenthal predicted it would remain dormant. “It seems to be lacking any kind of momentum,” he said.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D‑Va., said Democrats must stay vigilant despite the bill’s failure to advance.
“Even if it hasn’t passed, there are members here and the president who still really want to do it,” Kaine told The Daily Signal, adding that an attempt could still be made to pass the measure by unanimous consent on the Senate floor.
Kaine also declined to speculate on whether Senate Republican Leader John Thune would pursue changes to chamber rules, such as abolishing the filibuster, but signaled confidence that Thune would not.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have previously categorized Thune’s previous efforts to allegedly bring the bill to a vote as theatrics.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D‑N.M., echoed Kaine’s assessment, saying the legislation appears driven more by only some members who want to push politics.
“I don’t know if President Trump has given up on passing the SAVE America Act. We’ll see what happens legislatively between now and the midterms,” Luján said. “This feels like it’s more about the midterms than anything else.”
Luján added that he and other senators have highlighted concerns about the bill’s impact nationwide. “I was one of the colleagues on the floor who shed light on how this would hurt all states, not just some,” he said.
Republican House lawmakers have said Thune has urged colleagues to avoid publicly discussing abolishing the filibuster. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R‑Fla., also wrote on social media that Thune told lawmakers there would be “no SAVE America Act.”
When asked by The Daily Signal to respond to the claims directed at him by his congressional colleagues, Thune said he “will look for a window” to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
“We didn’t have a vote on it last week because of the budget resolution and the Kennedy amendment,” Thune added.
