by David Hawkins
A Republican effort to attach key election-integrity provisions to a major immigration enforcement funding package failed in the Senate after four GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to block the amendment.
The proposal, offered by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would have added provisions from the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to a nearly $70 billion budget reconciliation package focused on funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operations.
The amendment sought to require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration, establish voter identification requirements, and implement additional election-security measures.
However, the effort fell short after all Senate Democrats opposed the amendment and four Republican senators crossed party lines.
Four Republicans Break with GOP on SAVE Act Amendment
The four Republican senators who voted against advancing the measure were Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The vote marks the second time in recent months that the same group of Republicans has opposed efforts to attach SAVE Act language to a reconciliation vehicle.
In April, the quartet joined Democrats during a vote-a-rama on a Senate budget resolution, helping block a similar attempt.
Thursday’s vote produced the same outcome.
Collins and Murkowski have frequently broken with Republicans on high-profile votes, while Tillis and McConnell have cited procedural concerns about using reconciliation to advance election-related legislation.