Trump pushes SAVE Act requiring citizenship proof for voting in State of the Union

State of the Union addresses are all about aspirations. It doesn’t matter if you’re Reagan. Clinton, Obama, Bush duo or Trump. Aspirations are the essence of State of the Union addresses. What presidents want to do. And that’s what a president wants Congress to do.

All of this flows towards the ultimate end of political aspirations: winning elections. Let it be the next presidential election. Or House and Senate seats in midterm elections.

Two big questions and one piece of advice came from President Donald Trump this week. He wants Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship before people can vote. He wants lawmakers to pass a stock trading ban that would keep Congress from trading stocks. And the President doesn’t want Congress to meddle in tariff policy.

President Trump announced his new tariffs and argued that they would eventually replace the nation’s income tax. This commander in chief exercised executive authority more broadly than other presidents. So he instructed lawmakers to trade in their own tariff authorities.

“Congressional action will not be necessary,” Trump said of his new tariffs.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to impose tariffs. The Supreme Court upheld that mandate last week. But President Trump went ahead and imposed another set of tariffs on entire nations based on a different law.

Like most presidents, Trump wants to control legislation. This includes preventing Congress from changing its own tariffs. But some Republicans have their own desire: to be re-elected. That’s why some House Republicans, who believe their districts have been hit by tariffs, want to take back that power. Or at least let it be on record that he opposes the president.

The House voted a few weeks ago when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and others voted to repeal a special rule they had put in place to prevent members from relaxing tariffs for a year. Parliament then passed a plan to eliminate tariffs on Canada.

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But these are still the demands of some Republicans fed up with tariffs. The vast majority of Republicans are happy to keep them in place. Whatever the Supreme Court decides, that’s exactly what Trump wants.

President Donald Trump leaves after delivering his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Let’s go back to the two key legislative questions from Trump’s speech. The SAVINGS Act is the one he really wants to see passed. This fits nicely with Trump’s narrative about illegal immigration, former President Joe Biden’s claim that he stole the 2020 election, and voter fraud.

“They want to cheat. They cheated. Their policies are so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat,” the Democratic President said during his speech. “Cheating is very common.”

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A study examining election fraud by the conservative Heritage Foundation found that instances of election fraud are very few. For example, Pennsylvania, a swing state, has revealed only 39 cases of voting fraud in the past three decades.

Parliament has already approved the SAVINGS Act. But the question is in the Senate.

“The Senate is working. I think every Republican there is clearly in favor of the SAVE America Act and they’re trying to rally the votes. This is an issue for 70% of Democrats. In some polls it’s over 90%,” Johnson said. “I hope some Democrats come to their senses. I don’t know how they can go back to their voters and say they’re against it when it’s such a popular issue. We’ll see how it goes.”

See how it goes, right.

It was notable that while Trump called for Congressional action on the SAVE Act, he did not demand that senators end the filibuster. Fifty GOP senators now support the SAVE Act. But the crux of the matter is whether those who approve the legislation can reach the magic 60-year threshold. This is the number of votes needed to break a filibuster.

Senate Majority leader John Thune (R.S.D.) has repeatedly resisted changing the Senate’s filibuster traditions and precedents to pass the SAVE Act. The bill will never become law unless the Senate changes something. And Thune reiterated his opposition to eliminating fraud.

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and others have advocated for a “talking filibuster.” This means senators must speak and remain at the podium for hours. Otherwise, the Senate must vote. Talking filibuster advocates don’t want senators to quietly object from the sidelines. That’s what forces the Senate to take procedural votes that need 60 years to overcome the filibuster.

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“The filibuster issue that’s being talked about is one that there is no unified Republican conference on. And if you go that route, there needs to be (unity),” Thune said.

The GOP needs to “keep 50 Republicans together on almost every vote,” he said, adding that there is “no support to do that at this point.”

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Fox News was also told there was some friction between House and Senate Republicans. Some Senate Republicans don’t appreciate the House stepping up pressure to eliminate the filibuster. The right to filibuster is a privilege to which senators of both parties adhere.

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Moreover, subjecting the Senate to lengthy debates could increase votes on amendments that many vulnerable senators might find offensive. Putting them on the record about a host of controversial issues won’t help the GOP ahead of the election.

So, while Trump has a desire to pass the SAVINGS Act, his wishes regarding the filibuster are vague at best.

There is also a desire to ban MPs from trading stocks. Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., stood and applauded when Trump made the request.

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Johnson said the House is trying to “move the bill as aggressively and quickly as possible.” But he says he needs to “get votes for this.”

This is why the parliament has not yet taken up the bill. He lacks votes. For now, this is a desire. If the bill receives votes, Johnson will present it to parliament.

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There’s an old expression that the President “proposes” and Congress “disposes.” It’s certainly possible that even a GOP Congress could do so this year with some of Trump’s legislative requests.

However, this does not hinder his presidential goals. After all, even presidents can dream.

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