[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1159-S1161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
SAFEGUARD AMERICAN VOTER ELIGIBILITY ACT--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of the House message with respect to S. 1383,
which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
House message to accompany S. 1383, a bill to establish the
Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other
purposes.
Pending:
Thune motion to concur in the amendment of the House to the
bill.
Thune motion to concur in the amendment of the House to the
bill, with Thune (for Schmitt) amendment No. 4420 (to the
House amendment to the bill), in the nature of a substitute.
Thune (for Tuberville/Blackburn) amendment No. 4421 (to
amendment No. 4420), to protect women and girls in athletics.
Thune motion to refer the message of the House on the bill
to the Committee on Rules and Administration, with
instructions, Thune amendment No. 4422, to change the
enactment date.
Thune amendment No. 4423 (to the instructions (amendment
No. 4422), of a perfecting nature.
Thune amendment No. 4424 (to amendment No. 4423), of a
perfecting nature.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
Women's History Month
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, March is Women's History Month. This is
an opportunity to celebrate women who have shaped the Nation's history.
Americans all across the country this month should share stories about
women who have made an impact on their lives and how those same women
have paved the way for future generations to pursue their dreams and
contribute to American society.
My mother is one of those women. She raised me and my four siblings
to treat people with respect and worked very hard. She was one of the
first to benefit from the women's suffrage movement.
The women's suffrage movement began in the mid-19th century. So it
took 60 years--or maybe 70 years--for the 19th Amendment to finally be
adopted, and that was adopted in 1920.
The 19th Amendment, we know, granted women the right to vote. My
mother was one of the first women to cast a ballot just 29 hours after
ratification of the 19th Amendment. There was already an election
scheduled in that part of Iowa. I have spoken about her picture being
in the Des Moines Register and the Waterloo Courier. My mother and
three other women were pictured there voting.
Even though my mom never bragged about her milestone in U.S. history,
she sparked my interest in politics with conversation around the
kitchen table.
Since our Nation's founding, women have blazed trails and inspired
future generations to break glass ceilings in business, in agriculture,
in medicine, in government, in science, in technology and the arts and
many others that should be named.
Stories like my mother's are what this month is all about,
celebrating the gutsy, hard-won achievements of moms, daughters,
sisters, aunts, and wives throughout our 250 years of American history.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The majority leader is recognized.
[[Page S1160]]
S. 1383
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I don't think this is a hot take: Only
American citizens should be voting in American elections. Let me repeat
that: Only American citizens should be voting in American elections.
Of course, there is only one way to be sure that only Americans are
voting in our elections: Voters have to prove they are citizens when
they register to vote. That is just intuitively obvious. It is so
obvious, in fact, that one poll shows that most Americans believe that
proof of citizenship is already--already--a requirement to register to
vote, but it is not.
And polls show that the majority of Americans believe that we should
require proof of citizenship to vote. In one recent poll, 75 percent of
voters said they support requiring proof of citizenship to vote. That
includes 61 percent of Democrats and more than two-thirds of Hispanic
and Black voters.
This is just common sense. And it is why requiring proof of
citizenship to vote is one of the pillars of the SAVE America Act.
Confirming eligibility is not some new-fangled idea. The American
people are used to proving they are eligible, especially when dealing
with their State or the Federal Government. You want to join the
military? You should be prepared to show you are old enough, fit
enough, and have graduated from high school.
SNAP benefits? Same story. You need to hand over documents to prove
need, residency, and eligibility.
Seniors who have paid into this system their entire lives still need
to prove that they are eligible for Social Security and Medicare when
they are old enough.
And every single job in this country requires new employees to fill
out an I-9 and provide documents that prove they are eligible to work.
Every job requires you to prove you are eligible to work in this
country, whether you are working your first job scooping ice cream in
the summer or joining a law firm as a senior partner.
So why--why--don't we require proof of eligibility that is, proof of
citizenship to vote?
As I said, you need to prove you are eligible to work, to join the
military, and to get any sort of government benefit. But under current
law, you don't need to prove you are actually eligible to vote when you
register.
And the lack of a Federal requirement on this point has stood in the
way of States deciding for themselves to implement proof of citizenship
requirements. On two separate occasions, the State of Arizona has
attempted to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. In
2004, Arizona voters approved a ballot referendum requiring proof of
citizenship when registering to vote in the State. It passed with a
clear majority: 55 percent of Arizona voters supported the ballot
question. But the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down.
Fast forward to 2022, and the Arizona Legislature passed a law
requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. And, once again,
the Supreme Court said that States cannot impose requirements that go
beyond the standard Federal voter registration form to vote in Federal
elections--the standard Federal form that does not require proof of
citizenship.
And so here we are. The SAVE Act would put this commonsense proof of
citizenship requirement in place. This commonsense requirement, that,
as I said, polls show the majority of voters support. Passing this
requirement should be a no-brainer.
But Democrats roundly oppose this commonsense policy, and this should
surprise nobody. A number of blue States happily issue driver's
licenses to illegal immigrants. Democrats uniformly opposed
Republican's efforts to prevent noncitizens from getting Federal
healthcare and nutrition benefits last year.
And while States like Arizona and my home State of South Dakota are
passing legislation to ensure only American citizens vote in our
elections, blue cities are passing laws to allow--allow--noncitizens to
vote in local elections. That is right. In cities in Vermont,
California, right here in Washington, DC, noncitizens are allowed to
vote in local elections.
So it should be no surprise that Democrats seem not to care very much
about ensuring that American citizens--and American citizens only--are
voting in our national elections, but it is deeply concerning.
The vote of even one ineligible voter dilutes the vote of an American
citizen, and that is unconscionable. It is unconscionable for Americans
who faithfully cast their votes to nudge our country in the direction
they believe is best for our future.
And I have to imagine it is especially galling for legal immigrants
who have become American citizens who have often spent years waiting
and working for their citizenship and their right to vote.
One individual in my State said this on getting his citizenship a few
years ago:
It's a long time coming . . . I'm eager to vote, I'm eager
to cast my voice and how I feel.
And that is no surprise. Voting is, in many ways, synonymous with
being an American. It is one of our most sacred rights as Americans and
a serious obligation we have to our fellow citizens and to the future
of our country. Why shouldn't we make sure everyone who casts a ballot
in this country is actually eligible to vote?
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Department of Homeland Security
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, 10 million illegal immigrants flooded
into this country when Joe Biden was President, when the Democrats were
in the majority in this body--10 million illegal immigrants. Democrats
now want to make those same illegal immigrants have an impact on the
outcome of elections in our Nation. Democrats continue to be the party
of open borders and illegal voters.
Mr. President, last week the Department of Homeland Security arrested
an illegal immigrant who had voted in every Federal election since
2008. He voted in the State of Pennsylvania, which, of course, is a
swing State where the outcomes are decided on razor-thin majorities.
Every single time he voted, he signed a Federal form. The form
stated:
I am a citizen of the United States.
Every single time, he signed. Every single time, he lied. He is not a
citizen, and he knew it was a crime for him to vote. He voted anyway
because he could get away with it. That is fraud. It is a Federal
crime, and it happens over and over and over again.
The Democrats enable it. The reason it happens over and over again is
that Democrats fight every single effort that we have to stop it. They
don't want it to end. They want it to continue, and they want more of
it. That includes the bill that is before us today, the SAVE America
Act.
Yesterday, Republicans put every single Democrat in this Chamber on
the record. Now, all of America knows Republicans support voter photo
identification; Democrats do not.
The SAVE America Act requires two things. One is to show a photo ID
in order to vote. The second, of course, is to show proof of
citizenship in order to register to vote. This is common sense.
I believe only citizens of our country should be allowed to vote in
our elections. I also believe that you should have to show a photo ID
in order to vote. Now, the great majority of Americans agree with me,
and that is regardless of which party that person happens to be a
member of. The American people overwhelmingly agree, agree that
American elections should be decided by American citizens.
Do you know what the minority leader said here Monday afternoon,
right here on this floor? He called that concept that I just outlined,
he called it ``fringe.'' Well, let me tell you what fringe is, and I
will show you why.
Today, 19 States, as well as the District of Columbia, issue driver's
licenses to illegal immigrants, and they do it without any proof of
citizenship. You show up, you can get a license. In many of these same
States, obtaining a driver's license automatically registers
[[Page S1161]]
someone to vote--no citizenship checks, no additional steps, no
questions asked, no accountability--19 States.
And the minority leader on the floor the other day said that one of
the things he didn't like about the SAVE America Act is that it would
prevent automatic registration when people get their licenses in these
places. Well, they are not supposed to get licenses if they are not
citizens. Certainly, that is what I believe. And certainly, if they are
not citizens, they shouldn't be registered to vote automatically. That
is what the Democrats are fighting for: automatic enrollment on the
voter rolls for people who are not citizens of the United States when
they get a driver's license, in 19 States and the District, which allow
illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Now, by the way, these
20 jurisdictions represent 240 votes in the electoral college.
I just want to take a second to look to the State of Oregon. Oregon
hands out driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. When people get a
driver's license in Oregon, automatically registered to vote. As a
result, from 2021 all the way through 2024, hundreds of illegal
immigrants were added onto Oregon's voter rolls. Today, we are in 2026.
Oregon is still scrambling to try to clean up the disaster that they
created with automatic voter registration when they gave illegal
immigrants a driver's license.
This is the chaos that the Democrats continue to defend and are
defending on this floor today. This is the problem that will be
prevented by the SAVE America Act.
As Democrats come to this floor and they fight to let illegal
immigrants vote, they are simultaneously--and this is so sad--they are
actively defunding American security. That is right; they are defunding
American security. Democrats would rather stand with illegal immigrants
and illegal immigrant criminals than to vote to protect law-abiding
citizens. That is a shame. It is astonishing to many, and it is
business as usual for the Democrats in this body.
There have been four terror attacks on American soil in just the past
2 weeks. People have died. What have Senate Democrats done about it?
Last week, Senate Democrats came to this floor and refused once again
to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. Blood is on their
hands. They don't seem to care. Fully funding the Department of
Homeland Security is the best way to keep our Nation safe.
Yet, for more than a month, Democrats have practiced the politics of
pain. Democrats have defunded bomb prevention training class. I mean,
can you imagine that? People are making bombs to bomb areas of our
country, to bomb individuals--bombs were thrown at the mayor's house in
New York City, at the residence there--and Democrats have defunded bomb
prevention training classes.
This includes one location after another; and yet, because of this
shutdown by the Democrats of the Department of Homeland Security, only
a third of the instructors in the bombing prevention training are on
the job. Training classes are canceled.
Democrats are also withholding paychecks from TSA agents. Many TSA
agents live paycheck to paycheck. In communities around the country and
in my State and the Presiding Officer's, community groups and service
clubs are taking up food drives to take food to the airports to give to
the TSA agents because they are not getting paid because the Democrats
have shut down the Department of Homeland Security.
Under these circumstances, many TSA agents aren't showing up for
work. Others are just quitting and getting a job where they know they
will get paid. And the problem was made worse by the Democrats'
shutdown last October because these TSA agents said: Been there, done
that, not going to do it again.
Travelers across the country are waiting in security lines for hours.
That is happening today. And Democrats keep voting to make the wait
times even longer because they refuse to fund the Department of
Homeland Security. Some of them come to the floor and say: We are going
to peel it apart.
The Department of Homeland Security was set up after 2001 and the
terror bombings of 9/11. It is a comprehensive program to protect the
homeland and the people who live here. Democrats want to peel it apart
and say: Well, we will fund this little corner but not that portion and
not this portion, and OK over here. We need this comprehensive
Department of Homeland Security on the job, working, being paid, doing
the training that needs to be done.
It is astonishing that, time and time again, whether it comes to the
safety of our citizens, the security of our elections, Democrats once
again put illegal immigrants first and American citizens
last. Republicans and most Americans reject this far-left extremism of
the Democratic Party. It offends so many.
Republicans are going to continue to put American citizens first--at
the border, in communities, and at the ballot box.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ukraine
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we recently passed a tragic milestone: the
fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. I
remember the morning vividly, sitting with Senator Coons, the senior
Senator from Delaware, on a dark, early morning at the airport in
Vilnius, Lithuania, a country that knows all too well the threat posed
by Russia throughout history.
The loss of life from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been
staggering, with nearly 2 million total casualties. Millions more
Ukrainians have been displaced. Thousands of Ukrainian children have
been abducted to Russia.
President Trump bragged more times than I can remember that he would
end the Ukrainian war on day one if reelected. To his credit, the
United States has fostered a series of talks between Russia and
Ukraine. While I strongly support American help to ensure that Ukraine
can defend itself, and a diplomatic resolution is always preferable, it
is devastatingly clear to everyone--except, it seems, the President--
that Putin isn't serious about reaching a peace deal in Ukraine. Putin
continues to play for time, calling and manipulating President Trump at
key moments, including last week, to brazenly offer help in the Middle
East while simultaneously, we know, Russia is giving intelligence to
the Iranians to target American forces.
Time and again, President Trump has only pressed Ukraine to reach a
deal--never pressed Putin. And last week, Trump defied common sense--
defied common sense when he lifted sanctions on Russian oil because of
what should have been foreseen chaos in the energy markets due to his
invasion in Iran. And for reasons I simply cannot explain, this Chamber
has refused to pass Russian sanctions legislation with more than 85
cosponsors.
Let me be clear, Putin only responds to strength. He is stringing
along United States-led peace negotiations while relentlessly bombing
Ukraine, while helping Iran target American servicemembers.
It is time for President Trump to finally learn this lesson and for
the Senate to pass legislation increasing pressure on Putin to
negotiate.
I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
____________________