Senate Majority Leader PUSHES Back On Bill To Protect U.S. Citizen’s Rights

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on Sunday that he would not allow the Senate to consider a short-term spending measure that includes an election integrity bill, setting up a potential confrontation with the GOP-led House. The House has been advocating for reforms to secure the voting process, particularly concerning noncitizens.

 

In a letter to colleagues, Schumer outlined the Senate’s agenda for the coming weeks as lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., after the summer recess. He cautioned that a government shutdown could occur this fall if Congress does not reach an agreement to fund various federal agencies by the end of September.

 

“We all know what is at stake: crucial funding for health care, infrastructure, education, food safety, veterans, border security, U.S. competitiveness, and more,” Schumer stated. He emphasized that Democrats support a continuing resolution to keep the government running, provided it does not include “partisan add-ons.”

 

 

“As I have said before, the only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way,” Schumer continued. “Despite Republican bluster, that is how we’ve handled every funding bill in the past, and this time should be no exception. We will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk.”

 

The House GOP recently unveiled their version of a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through March 28. The resolution is tied to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill that seeks to require individuals to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and urges states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls.

 

While at least a few House Republicans have expressed opposition to the proposal, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated his support for the combined measure. Johnson previously highlighted what he described as a National Voter Registration Act “loophole” and pointed to evidence of noncitizens appearing on voter rolls in several states.

 

In response to the GOP proposal, Schumer and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) released a joint statement saying, “As we have said repeatedly, avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party. … If Speaker Johnson drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up.”

 

The House passed the SAVE Act as a standalone bill in July with some bipartisan support, but the Democrat-controlled Senate has declined to consider it, and the Biden administration has voiced its opposition to the measure. Critics argue that the legislation is unnecessary and would place undue burdens on legitimate voters.

 

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), who is campaigning to become the Senate GOP leader, responded to Schumer’s letter by stating, “The top Democrat thinks that preventing illegal immigrants from voting is ‘Republican extremism.’ That means that every Democrat supports allowing illegal immigrants to vote. This is insane, a threat to democracy, and must be fixed by passing the SAVE Act.”

 

Axios reported on Sunday that Democrats in Congress and the White House are advocating for a short-term spending measure that would last through mid-December, three months shorter than the House version. This approach aims to avoid giving Vice President Kamala Harris a “tight deadline” to secure government funding in the early months of her first term if she wins the upcoming presidential election.

 

Meanwhile, House conservatives, who previously failed to attach border reforms to a spending bill, are pushing for any new resolution to extend into early next year. They argue this would prevent Democrats from undermining a potential second term for former President Donald Trump with a December omnibus and insist on including the SAVE Act in the measure.