Graham Fails With Four GOP Defections on Save Act
Four Senate Republicans joined all Democrats on Thursday night to block Sen. Lindsey Graham’s save act amendment, which would have attached President Donald Trump’s voter ID bill to a nearly $70 billion budget reconciliation package. The amendment needed at least 60 votes and fell short, leaving the effort blocked again.
Graham, a South Carolina Republican, challenged Democrats on the Senate floor as he pressed the proposal tied to funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Sen. Alex Padilla said that just over a month ago, a similar proposal was defeated on a bipartisan basis.
Collins, Murkowski, McConnell, Tillis
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina broke ranks and joined Democrats to thwart the move. Their votes gave the amendment no path past the 60-vote threshold, even with the proposal folded into a larger spending package.
The failed vote marked the second attempt by Republicans to attach the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility America Act to their budget reconciliation package. Months earlier, Republicans had launched a quasi-floor takeover to debate the bill, but the Senate still failed to get it across the line.
Graham's Senate Floor Pitch
On the floor, Graham framed the issue as a matter of voter ID and election rules. He said, "There's no other reason to say you don't have to have an ID. It just makes cheating easier," and added, "Who wants a noncitizen voting in our election if you're against that, that makes me wonder."
He also said, "And biological males playing girls sports [is] not good for anybody, and a minor should not be allowed to transition their sex," followed by, "That's the biggest change you can make in your entire life. You shouldn't be allowed to do that as a minor. This is what we say. What do you say?"
Padilla’s response showed the current limit for the proposal: even after a renewed push and a larger package behind it, the amendment still could not reach the Senate votes it needed. The same block that stopped the earlier version held again, and that leaves the SAVE America Act still short of the support required to move through the chamber.
