U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-D.) speaks next to U.S. Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) at the Senate Republicans’ press conference after their weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC, U.S.
Kent Nishimura | reuters
The Senate is set to begin a day-long debate Tuesday afternoon on the Save America Act, the controversial voter-ID bill backed by President Donald Trump.
“We will not let this pass. We will fight this with all our might,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said before the vote Tuesday morning. “We are prepared to be here all day and all night, or many days and many nights and even several weeks if necessary, to ensure that the SAVE Act gets the death it deserves.”
The legislation, which advanced through the House in February, would require proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote in elections. Those provisions would take effect immediately if passed, potentially disrupting the 2026 midterm elections that will decide who controls the House and Senate.
The vote on Tuesday will prompt the House to begin debate and will require only a simple majority. Vice President J.D. Vance may be called upon to break the tie.
Padilla and other Senate Democrats have vowed to block the bill, which would need 60 votes to pass and secure final passage in the chamber. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans do not have the votes to pass the legislation, but hard-liners and Trump allies have promised to jam the Senate and put their Democratic colleagues on the record on an issue they say is popular with voters.
“It’s just common sense. And polls show the American people agree,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said from the Senate floor on Tuesday. Said.