New SAVE Act Forces Photo ID and Citizenship [WATCH]

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise called for swift Senate action on legislation that would add a photo identification requirement to federal voting laws, arguing the measure is necessary to protect the integrity of American elections and prevent lawful votes from being canceled out by illegal ballots.

Scalise said the House plans to send the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, to the Senate with a requirement that voters present photo identification. He framed the proposal as a commonsense protection for voters who follow the rules and expect elections to be decided fairly.

“Over to the Senate to give them even more incentive to go protect the sanctity of every American’s vote, and that is the SAVE Act, plus a picture ID requirement,” Scalise said.

Scalise compared voting to other routine activities that already require identification, arguing that elections should not be held to a lower standard.

“Look, you can’t even get on an airplane. You can’t go to a bar tonight without showing a picture ID,” he said.

He criticized states that prohibit voter identification requirements, saying those policies invite abuse and undermine confidence in election outcomes.

“Yet, there are people in many states where the states actually have laws saying you can’t show ID, which is a recipe for fraud, for stealing your vote if you’re voting legally, so that somebody can come behind you, illegally in another country and actually vote and steal your vote,” Scalise said.

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Scalise argued that illegal voting directly harms law-abiding voters by diluting or canceling out legitimate ballots.

“Because if somebody is voting illegally, they’re stealing your vote if you’re following the rules,” he said.

He said the House intends to advance the legislation to ensure uniform standards and reassure voters that elections are secure.

“So SAVE Act plus picture ID. We’re going to bring that too, send that to the Senate,” Scalise said.

“I think a lot of Americans would like that protection, because if they’re following the rules, they just want everybody else to.”

Scalise also pointed to frustrations surrounding prolonged vote counting and late-arriving ballots, which he said have fueled distrust in recent elections.

“What makes people angry is when you see boxes of ballots showing up two weeks after an election, and then next thing you know, lo and behold, a Democrat takes the lead after being behind for three weeks after Election Day,” he said.

He emphasized concerns about military voters, arguing that service members who submit their ballots on time should not see their votes overridden by ballots that arrive later or are cast unlawfully.

“And then somebody who voted by mail in the military, they’re overseas fighting to defend our freedoms,” Scalise said.

“Their votes that got in legally before the election are being nullified by somebody illegally.”

Scalise said the proposed legislation is designed to address those concerns directly by tightening voter eligibility requirements and reinforcing public trust in the electoral process.

“It needs to stop,” he said.