Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins was among the four Republicans to vote against a proposal to attach the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to a $70 billion funding package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol (CBP).
Later in the day Friday, the Senate voted 52-47 in support of the funding without receiving any Democratic support.
The House is not expected to consider this spending package until next week at the soonest.
Earlier this year, lawmakers partially funded DHS but deliberately excluded ICE and CBP after they failed to garner enough support to advance.
[RELATED: Senate Approves Partial DHS Funding Bill for TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and CISA, Excludes ICE and CBP]
Among the many amendments to the ICE and CBP funding package that were rejected by the Senate Friday was the proposal to include SAVE Act provisions as part of the legislation.
The SAVE Act was first put forward in 2024 by a large group of Republican lawmakers with the purpose of protecting the integrity of U.S. elections in light of the surge in illegal immigration.
Under the proposed law, those seeking voter registration would need to provide “documentary proof of United States citizenship,” such as a REAL ID compliant form of identification, passport, military ID, or a government-issued photo ID “showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.”
Other government-issued photo IDs may be used if presented in conjunction with another qualifying document, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.
[RELATED: House GOP Balks at Linking SAVE Act to Government Funding Bill]
This is not the first time that lawmakers have pushed back on including the SAVE Act as part of a broader spending bill.
In September of 2024, the possibility of including the measure as part of a major spending package was discussed but ultimately did not come to fruition.
The version of the package that included language from the SAVE Act was rejected by both Democrats and Republicans.
While those on the left were united in their opposition to the package, a number of those on the right joined them over concerns related to the use of a stop-gap measure itself and its inclusion of “excessive spending.”
Allowing people to vote without having to present some form of identity and proof of citizenship is INSANITY .
THAT is why Democrats and RINOs oppose it .
Democrats and RINOs will justify ANYTHING that helps them attain victory .
Maine voters need to wake TF up .