Republicans dig in on SAVE America Act as marathon Senate debate begins
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Senate Republicans have come a long way as they begin taking over the chamber, signaling that debate hours that extend well beyond the upper chamber’s usual twilight business hours are just the beginning.
The GOP launched its plan to control the Senate floor early Tuesday and spent the next hours praising and defending the Saving American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as Senate Democrats passed over the bill as a tool of voter suppression.
But without Democratic support, the bill is bound to fail. And the vote to open a marathon debate session that lawmakers predicted could last days, if not weeks, was an indication of the lack of support in the upper chamber to pass the SAVE America Act.
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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was determined to ensure the Senate continued debating the voter ID bill until it “passed very well.” (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Still, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the bill’s sponsor in the upper chamber and the legislator who lobbied Senate Republican leadership to introduce the bill, argued late Tuesday night that Senate Republicans would neglect to squander the opportunity before them.
“This is our moment,” Lee said. “Defend a simple principle; let the American people see who is willing to defend their sacred right to vote and who is not.”
In the afternoon and late evening, several other MPs also took to the floor; discussions often weaved in and out of the topic at hand and extended to other issues of the day, such as President Donald Trump’s war in Iran or honoring Ohio soldiers who died on an air refueling mission in the Middle East.
Democrats argued that the bill goes far beyond voter ID and is designed to prevent multiple groups from voting.
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Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California speaks at a press conference with immigration experts, DACA recipients and Dreamers on June 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., accused Republicans of using the floor exercise to distract from other pressing issues.
“Instead of focusing on the economic crisis or saving us from endless wars, Senate Republicans are once again doing Donald Trump’s bidding,” Padilla said. “This time, they are making his conspiracy-fueled election takeover bill their top priority.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said repeated studies and investigations have found that “you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than if a noncitizen voted.” Republicans argue that the bill is clearly designed to end this practice.
Merkley opposed it, saying the law was about “rigging the November election.”
“That’s exactly what Trump said: ‘If you give me this bill, my party will win the election in November and every other election for a long time,'” Merkley said.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who led an amendment that included several changes to the bill requested by Trump, argued that “a republic has the right to separate citizens from non-citizens.”
“This shouldn’t be controversial,” Schmitt said. “This shouldn’t be difficult at all. Voting is not a global right. Voting is not a participation reward for anyone who crosses our borders.”
Senate GOP BLAMES THE VOTE AS A RESCUE MOVEMENT FOR TRUMP-SUPPORTED DEFEAT
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is leading an amendment that includes several changes to the bill. (Samuel Çorum/Getty Images)
Floor discussions are expected to continue for the next few days. Some Republicans, meanwhile, believe they can wear down Senate Democrats enough to pass the legislation despite the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Lee and a group of like-minded Republicans have pressured Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D., to appeal to the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, which would lower the threshold for passing the bill to a simple majority, likely after several weeks of debate.
Despite pressure from inside his conference, from Trump, and from conservatives beyond the walls of Congress, the concept has become an insurmountable math problem that Republicans have been unable to unify behind.
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But Lee was ready for the long haul Tuesday night.
“Let’s face it, there is no legitimate reason to oppose this bill,” Lee said. “And I stand behind it, and I will continue to stand behind it in the days and weeks to come. And I’m ready for many more weeks. We will stay on this bill until it is fully passed, because the American people demand and deserve nothing less than this.”
