Senate rejects Trump-backed SAVE America Act amendment to immigration enforcement funding bill

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times - Thursday, June 4, 2026

President Trump pushed Senate Republicans to vote Thursday on an election integrity bill that would largely ban mail-in ballots, as such votes are delaying calls in key California primary races.

Republicans complied, offering it as an amendment to the filibuster-proof $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill they were debating on the floor Thursday.

But the measure failed, with four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — joining all Democrats in opposition.

“The president wants us to vote on the SAVE [America] Act. We voted on it once. He’s entitled to ask again. We’re letting him draft it, and we’re going to vote on it,” Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican., told reporters ahead ofthe vote.

In April, Mr. Kennedy offered a SAVE America Act amendment to the budget resolution that kicked off the filibuster-proof reconciliation process Republicans are using to pass the immigration enforcement funding bill.

The four Republicans who helped Democrats defeat the measure on Thursday also opposed it then and are unlikely to change their minds, despite Mr. Trump’s repeated pressure.

The SAVE America Act requires proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot, plus forces states to clean up their voter rolls using a federal citizenship database.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly pushed for a version that also bans states from automatically sending out absentee ballots to all registered voters.

He has said the only people who should be able to vote by mail are active duty military and others who have legitimate reasons for not being able to vote in person, such as disability, illness or travel.

His latest sales pitch comes as a late surge of mail-in votes in California’s jungle primary held Tuesday is delaying final results in close races, where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election in November.

“Look what’s happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the Vote,” the president posted on Truth Social. “I hope the Republicans are watching so that they can finally pass the SAVE America Act!”