Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization Monday evening has further stalled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which has languished in his committee for months.
The 83-year-old former Senate Majority Leader, who chairs the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, was admitted with flu-like symptoms. His office says his “prognosis is positive,” according to NBC News. (RELATED: Mitch McConnell Hospitalized With Flu-Like Symptoms)
McConnell missed votes Monday and Tuesday, the outlet reported.
The SAVE Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections and amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to mandate states verify citizenship and purge noncitizens from voter rolls.
On Monday, Republican Texas Rep. Brandon Gill and 34 colleagues sent McConnell a letter urging him to schedule a markup and advance the bill to the floor ahead of the 2026 midterms.
“83% of Americans want proof of citizenship to vote, yet the Senate has done nothing for 300 days,” Gill wrote on X. “The House did its job. The Senate needs to do theirs.”
I just sent a letter to Mitch McConnell asking his committee to stop stalling the SAVE Act.
⁰83% of Americans want proof of citizenship to vote, yet the Senate has done nothing for 300 days.The House did its job. The Senate needs to do theirs. pic.twitter.com/n4ynOgVaBL
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) February 2, 2026
This comes days after President Donald Trump killed a push by House conservatives to include an election integrity measure in the Senate-passed deal ending the government shutdown, demanding the $1.2 trillion funding package pass with “NO CHANGES.”
The SAVE America Act — an expanded version of the SAVE Act introduced Jan. 29 by Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy — adds a voter ID mandate for federal elections on top of the original bill’s proof-of-citizenship requirement. (RELATED: Trump Slams Door Shut On Conservatives’ Effort To Attach Election Integrity Bill To Shutdown-Ending Measure)
My colleague, @SenAshleyMoody, nails it with this message:
Return to Senate tradition
Require filibustering senators to (gasp) actually speak
Using existing Senate rules
Pass the SAVE America Act https://t.co/L2WFN3o0CZ pic.twitter.com/rgk6oUJgeL
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 4, 2026
McConnell has faced several health incidents in recent years: a concussion in March 2023, on-camera freezing episodes that drew scrutiny, and a stumble in the Russell Senate Office Building basement in October 2025. A childhood polio survivor, he has long had an unsteady gait but has appeared increasingly frail over the past year. He now often moves through the Capitol with security detail members providing physical support.
US Senator Mitch McConnell is helped up steps as he enters the US Capitol in Washington, DC on February 2, 2026. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
McConnell entered the Senate in 1985 and relinquished his role as Republican leader in December 2024 after nearly 20 years in the position. He announced in February 2025 that he would not seek reelection when his term ends in January 2027.
Notably, McConnell himself helped establish Kentucky’s process for replacing a U.S. senator: the governor appoints a replacement from three candidates submitted by the vacating senator’s party. Appointees must have been continuously registered with the party since Dec. 31 of the previous year.
The Kentucky senator’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
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