In a big blow for Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans, the Senate just voted 48-50 to reject an effort by Senator Lindsey Graham to add the SAVE Act to a huge immigration funding bill.
Four Republican senators – Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Thom Tillis – went against their party and joined all the Senate Democrats in voting against it.
The SAVE Act would create new national voting rules, like requiring proof of citizenship when voting.
People who work on voting rights say this could make it harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots.
Those in favor say the bill is necessary to stop non-citizens from voting.
But others point out that voting in federal elections as a non-citizen is already against the law, and current protections are working well.
During the debate, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) said, “This amendment is like earlier attempts to push the president’s agenda, trying to control elections.”
This loss is the second time Senate Republicans have failed to move forward with the bill, even though Trump and his supporters put a lot of pressure on them.
Now, Republicans are desperately looking for other ways to get the bill passed after failing again to get it through on its own.
For now, Trump’s latest effort to push strict voting restrictions, which some see as voter suppression, has failed.
The American people deserve easier access to voting, not Republicans constantly trying to make it harder for people who won’t support their harsh and irresponsible policies.
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