House Republicans are urging their Senate colleagues to quickly pass election integrity legislation that has been idling in the Upper Chamber for nearly a year.
In a letter exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire, Texas Congressman Brandon Gill and 34 of his colleagues press Senate Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to schedule a markup of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and advance it to the Senate floor ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“American elections should be fair and free, not subject to foreign influence. Illegal aliens have no right to be in America, and they certainly shouldn’t be voting,” said Rep. Gill about the letter. “House Republicans are united behind the SAVE act. I urge my Senate colleagues to pass this legislation and get it to President Trump’s desk for his signature.”
The SAVE Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require documentary proof of American citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers, when registering to vote in federal elections. It also directs states to establish processes to identify and remove noncitizens from voter rolls and authorizes penalties for election officials who fail to comply.
Supporters argue the legislation addresses a documented vulnerability in the current system. Republican officials note that states, including Texas and Ohio, have identified thousands of noncitizens on voter rolls, and contend that existing law makes it difficult to require proof of citizenship at the point of registration. The SAVE Act, they argue, would close those gaps and ensure that only United States citizens participate in federal elections.
The letter highlights growing frustration among House Republicans over the Senate’s inaction on the bill, which passed the House on April 10, 2025, by a 220–208 vote.
“The House did our job nearly 300 days ago. The Senate needs to do theirs,” said Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-Texas), who signed the letter along with many of his fellow committee members. “The Senate needs to stop stalling … and get it to the floor. Representative Gill’s letter is exactly the pressure we need to get this to President Trump’s desk.”
Lawmakers argue that further delay risks leaving election integrity reforms unresolved as the midterms approach, and McConnell’s position as committee chairman gives him the authority to move the legislation forward.
The push comes as Republicans continue to elevate election security as a central policy priority. In late January 2026, Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced the SAVE America Act, an expanded proposal that builds on the original SAVE Act by adding nationwide photo identification requirements for federal elections.
The Senate version of the SAVE Act has drawn significant Republican support, with 48 GOP senators listed as cosponsors. Still, the legislation would likely require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster in the narrowly divided Senate, making some level of bipartisan backing necessary.
The letter also points to public support for citizenship requirements, including an October 2024 Gallup poll that found 83% of Americans support requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, including a majority of registered Democrats.
“If you can’t prove your citizenship, you shouldn’t be able to vote. Anyone opposed to the SAVE Act wants to benefit from fraud, which undermines election security and gives illegal immigrants more power than law-abiding Americans,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), one of the letter’s cosignatories. “I’m calling on the Senate to advance this bill quickly so we can strengthen and secure our elections.”
If enacted before the 2026 midterms, proponents say the SAVE Act would significantly strengthen voter registration standards nationwide while restoring public confidence in the electoral process. Critics and election administrators, however, have raised concerns about implementation timelines and administrative burdens absent additional federal support.
As the midterm elections draw closer, House Republicans are signaling impatience with Senate inaction and pressing leadership to move, as one cosigner said, “Republicans were sent to Washington to fix a broken system, not to make excuses.” Whether McConnell takes up the bill may determine not only the fate of the SAVE Act, but how central election integrity becomes in the next national campaign cycle.
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