Letting the SAVE America Act fail would be ‘suicidal,’ Sen. Lee warns GOP colleagues

Sen. Mike Lee, the Utah Republican leading a bill to prevent noncitizens from voting, warned his GOP colleagues Wednesday that quickly ending debate on the measure and letting it fail would be politically “suicidal.”

The Senate voted Tuesday to begin debate on the SAVE America Act, a bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. The measure is President Trump’s top legislative priority and the MAGA base is pushing the GOP-led Congress to do whatever it takes to ensure the bill becomes law.

“I think it would be a suicidal move for us as Senate Republicans, for Republicans in general, if we don’t put everything we’ve got into this,” Mr. Lee said at a press conference on the measure Wednesday. “We need to debate this as long as it takes to get it done.”

Earlier in the week, the senator had suggested on social media that voters “might need to replace” their senators if they do not support using the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act.

Mr. Trump added his political weight by announcing Monday that he will never endorse anyone who votes against the bill.

“Only sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” he said on social media. “If they do, each one of these points, separately, will be used against the user in his/her political campaign for office — A guaranteed loss!”

The only Republican to vote against proceeding to the bill on Tuesday was Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is not up for reelection until 2028. She has said she supports voter ID, which her state already requires, but said the bill goes too far in imposing other federal restrictions that should be left up to the states.

Retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina did not vote but told reporters last week that he opposed beginning debate on the bill because there was no plan for a successful outcome.

GOP leaders did not file cloture to tee up a vote to end debate on the bill, as they do for most legislation that is brought to the floor.

Mr. Lee wants his colleagues to avoid that scenario until they’ve used the power of persuasion to convince enough Democrats to join their cause to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to end debate, or exhaust them to the point where Republicans can call a final vote on the bill at a simple-majority threshold.

“This is going to become popular enough that a lot of our colleagues who currently oppose it, I believe, will start to get on board,” he said, noting he believes there is a path to getting 60 votes to end debate. “We’ve got to give it time, and we’ve got to master the arguments.”

Democrats say they will not be persuaded to back the bill because it goes far beyond a popular voter ID requirement and would create new barriers for people registering to vote and remove people who are legally eligible to vote from the registration rolls.

“It’s taking us backwards in terms of voting rights and access to the ballot,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, California Democrat.

He and other Democratic senators spoke Wednesday at a rally with outside groups who are banding together in opposition to the bill.

“No matter how late we have to stay up, no matter how many days, weeks, weekends, months, we have to be on the floor of the Senate, we will not let this evil legislation pass,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat.

As the floor debate unfolds, Republicans plan to offer amendments.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican, announced his substitute amendment that would incorporate provisions the president asked to be added, including bans on transgender surgeries for minors and biological men playing in women’s sports.

Language to meet the president’s demand for ending mail-in voting language took more work to craft, as several GOP senators worried a blanket ban would eliminate legitimate cases where voters could not cast their ballots in person.

Mr. Schmitt’s amendment would ban states from sending out mail-in ballots unless a voter requests one under a “hardship” exemption.

“If you have a hardship because of a disability or an illness or because of travel or you’re a caregiver or some other hardship that the state can identify, you can vote by absentee,” he said.

Mr. Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, were involved in drafting and are supporting the substitute amendment, Mr. Schmitt said.

The new restrictions would most impact the eight states that automatically send mail-in ballots to all registered voters and do not require any special circumstances for voting by mail.

Mr. Lee’s state of Utah is one of those eight, but he said he is confident it would be able to adjust to any new law. He said mail-in ballots present a risk of fraud, and eliminating their widespread use is a good thing — “even if you’re a state like Utah that doesn’t allow ballot harvesting, as a lot of states do, and that has good signature verification and other protocols in place.”

Mr. Schmitt said it is important for Republicans to force debate and votes on their top priorities, even if the outcome is not guaranteed.

“The Senate isn’t just a museum. It’s not a retirement home for proceduralism,” he said. “We actually should draw lines. And the American people should know where we stand. And we support election integrity. We support protecting women and girls. We support protecting kids.”