Congressional Republicans revive Trump-backed SAVE Act

Congressional Republicans in both chambers are expected to revive the bipartisan "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility" (SAVE) Act, which has been supported by President-elect Donald Trump.

The House passed the bill last year, but the legislation stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate after the chamber passed a different spending bill that did not include the act. 

The SAVE Act requires voters to show proof of citizenship before voting in a U.S. election. Although only American citizens are already allowed to vote in federal elections, Republicans claim illegal immigrants could mistakenly register to vote when obtaining a driver's license or other benefits, per Fox News.

Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee sponsored the legislation in their respective chambers in the 119th Congress. Roy introduced the bill on Friday, but Lee is expected to introduce the act next week.

"American elections belong to American citizens, and the public's confidence in those elections is the cornerstone of our republic," Roy told Fox News on Tuesday. "We in Congress have a duty to our fellow citizens to provide that confidence. We must have concrete enforcement mechanisms in place to ensure that our elections and our sovereignty cannot be hijacked and influenced by foreign nationals who have no business voting in this country."

Lee highlighted the need to pass the act in order to restore public trust in the integrity of federal elections.

"A vast majority of our countrymen agree: only American citizens should be able to register and vote in American elections," Lee told the outlet. "The SAVE Act gives states the ability to prevent illegal voter registration and protect the ballot box from foreign election interference."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.