Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, there are some issues we consider so logical and so obviously rooted in common sense that I have got to believe the American people are sitting at home and wondering why Congress is even having this debate. And such is the case with the bill the U.S. Senate is considering this week, the SAVE America Act.

Let me be clear. The bill before us today requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and it requires photo ID in order to vote in a Federal election.

If you come to my office here in Washington, DC, you will see fairly quickly I am an avid outdoorsman. There are a lot of hunting and fishing pictures on the walls that say a lot about the great State of Montana.

As many know, Montana has some of the very best outdoor recreation in the country, even the world: hunting, fishing, backpacking, you name it.

I remember growing up in Montana. My grandpa and my dad had a fly rod in my hand when I was still a little boy before fly fishing was cool even, back in the early seventies. And I remember fly fishing before Brad Pitt discovered it with Robert Redford and made the movie ``A River Runs Through It.'' If you want to fish in Montana, if you want to fly fish, if you want to get a tag to hunt, you want to shoot a mule deer or an elk or a white tail, you know what you need to get a tag? to get a fishing license? You have got to produce a valid ID. To go fishing, you need a license. And to get a license, you need a valid ID.

Now, nobody has a problem with this when it comes to America's great outdoors. So why does the left protest so hard against ID requirements to vote?

It is an explicit law that only American citizens can vote, and all Americans have an ID or the ability to easily obtain one.

The right to vote and participate in democracy is a core principle of this great country. It is what gives us our freedom. It is what gives us a voice. But when election integrity is compromised, our institutions suffer, and the people don't trust the outcome of elections or their government anymore.

And that is why 95 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Democrats support having voter ID. It is truly that bipartisan. I am not sure there is a more bipartisan issue right now facing us in Washington.

People want to restore trust in their elections and their government. So why is this so hard?

I will tell you why it is so hard. Our friends on the other side of the aisle are captive to their radical base. I grew up as the grandson of a Democrat in Montana. My dad was a Democrat growing up. But this is a different kind of Democrat today. The radical base is steering the party that we debate with across the aisle here in Washington.

Remember under Joe Biden's border catastrophe, at least 10 million-- and that is a conservative number--10 million illegal aliens poured into the country unchecked. And in many States, these illegal aliens are eligible for driver's licenses, which makes it easier to illegally register to vote.

And that is why you need to have proof of citizenship. That is why the SAVE America Act is so important. Requiring a photo ID is basic. It is common sense. It is not controversial. It is time to get this done.

I am very grateful to my colleague Senator Mike Lee of Utah and my colleague Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri who have been fighting so hard to get this bill across the finish line.

I urge the rest of our colleagues to get on board, support the SAVE America Act, stand up for election integrity, and vote for the SAVE America Act.

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