Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned Tuesday that a voting bill backed by President Donald Trump and Republicans could make it significantly harder for millions of Americans to participate in upcoming elections.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Durbin criticized Trump’s demand that Congress pass the SAVE America Act before the president will sign any other legislation. Durbin said the ultimatum comes as lawmakers are dealing with the war in the Middle East and negotiations over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“The President of the United States now insists that the SAVE America Act should be our number-one priority,” Durbin stated, arguing that the proposal would not strengthen election security but instead restrict access to the ballot.
Durbin emphasized that voting by non-citizens is already illegal under U.S. law and said there is little evidence that such violations occur in significant numbers. He cited research from the Heritage Foundation—yes, the architects of Project 2025—indicating that only 24 cases of non-citizens casting ballots were identified nationwide over a 20-year period between 2003 and 2023.
“24 times in 20 years of the millions and millions of votes that’s been cast,” Durbin said, arguing that the current system requiring election officials to verify voter eligibility is already functioning.
The SAVE Act Will Make It Harder For Millions Of Americans To Vote
The Illinois Democrat said the bill would impose strict documentation requirements for voter registration that many Americans may struggle to meet. According to Durbin, the legislation would not allow a driver’s license—even one that meets federal REAL ID standards—to serve as proof of citizenship.
Instead, voters would need to present documents such as a passport or an original birth certificate, he said.
Durbin noted that roughly half of Americans do not have a passport and that obtaining one costs about $165—essentially becoming a poll tax. Birth certificates could also create complications, he said, particularly for married women whose legal names differ from the names listed on their original documents.
He also pointed out the legislation could create problems for service members, stating that even a military identification card would not qualify under the proposal.
“Men and women, serving in the military, sworn to uphold the Constitution,” Durbin illustrated, “when they go to vote and show their military ID, they’re told by the election official, ‘sorry, that doesn’t qualify.'”
Durbin warned that the restrictions under the Trump-backed legislation could prevent millions of Americans—including women, seniors and military personnel—from successfully registering to vote.
He also accused Trump of promoting the legislation because he fears losing future elections and believes higher voter participation would work against him.
“The president says he won’t allow us to send any bill to him to be signed into law until we pass this law denying the right to vote to millions of Americans in November,” Durbin reiterated. “That’s what the whole issue is about.”
