Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha warned that if the SAVE America Act does not pass, “we are broken as a government.”
Concha noted that President Donald Trump said Congress needs to “blow up the filibuster” to pass the SAVE America Act, arguing that even with a simple majority, there still are not enough votes.
“Most Republicans are behind this, all Democrats are against it, and the problem is that you just don’t know if [Sens. Mitch] McConnell, or [Thom] Tillis, or [Susan] Collins, or [Lisa] Murkowski can be swayed,” Concha said Sunday on Fox News’s Fox Report With Jon Scott. “If the SAVE America Act cannot be passed despite having the Congress, the Senate, and the White House, that’s going to depress turnout.”
The SAVE America Act would require people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and a valid form of identification when registering to vote. The bill emerged as a major legislative priority for Trump, though its prospects in the Senate remain uncertain.
Concha said support for voter ID transcends party lines, cautioning that its failure could hurt Republicans in the midterm elections.
“Not just Republican voters, Democrat voters, independent voters, the majority there as well want voter ID but yet it can’t pass because four senators on the Republican side who still can’t give any good reason why they are against this bill,” Concha said. “But if it doesn’t pass, Republicans are going to have a very bad night when it comes to the midterms in November, that we do know.”
Concha pointed out that no Democrat has broken ranks on the bill, singling out Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) despite his reputation for centrism.
“Democrats are staunchly against this,” Concha said. “All of them, not one breaking away. Even John Fetterman, who seemed to be more of a common-sense person on the Democratic side, even he would not vote for the SAVE America Act.”
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Concha also referenced New Jersey’s voter rolls disclosure under Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), after a software error mistakenly registered 6,600 self-identified noncitizens as voters.
“If this does not pass, we are broken as a government,” Concha said. “This is something almost every American wants yet isn’t getting because obviously there are midterms coming up and therefore everybody’s digging in, and no one seems to be not being swayed at this point to vote for something that most Americans say is common sense.”