President says he will act unilaterally on voter ID requirements should the SAVE America Act fail to clear the Senate.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will move forward with an executive order requiring voter identification in federal midterm elections if Congress does not pass pending legislation mandating such measures.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that he will sign an Executive Order instituting voter ID requirements for the upcoming midterms regardless of the fate of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, currently awaiting a vote in the Senate.
“We cannot let the Democrats get away with NO VOTER I.D. any longer,” Trump wrote. “Even Democrat Voters agree, 85 percent, that there should be Voter I.D.”
He added, “This is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought, NOW! If we can’t get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order.”
The SAVE America Act would require individuals to present government-issued identification, such as a passport or driver’s license, when registering to vote. The bill has passed the House but has yet to receive a vote in the Senate.
Trump’s announcement followed reports that 50 senators now support the SAVE Act, though that figure remains short of the 60 votes typically required to overcome a filibuster in the upper chamber.
Some Republican lawmakers and allies have urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune to consider lowering the 60-vote threshold to pass the measure. Thune, however, rejected that possibility during a press conference earlier this week.
“There aren’t anywhere close to the votes, not even close, to nuking the filibuster,” Thune said. “So that idea is something, although it continues to be put out there… That doesn’t have a future.”
Democratic lawmakers have voiced strong opposition to the legislation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the SAVE Act “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
“The goal of the SAVE Act is the same: disenfranchising American citizens and making it harder for eligible people to vote, particularly low-income Americans and people of color,” Schumer said in remarks delivered on the Senate floor earlier in the week.
Democrats have characterized the proposal as discriminatory and a form of voter suppression. Supporters argue that voter ID requirements are necessary to safeguard election integrity.
Recent polling indicates broad public support for voter ID measures, with 95% of Republican voters and 71% of Democrat or Democrat-leaning voters expressing support for nationwide voter identification requirements.
If enacted through executive action, Trump’s order would likely face legal scrutiny, particularly over the extent of presidential authority to mandate voting procedures traditionally administered by states.
The midterm elections are scheduled for next year, and debate over voter identification requirements continues to intensify as both parties prepare for competitive congressional contests.
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