President Joe Biden's administration opposed a bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, Breitbart reported. The legislation, dubbed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, was introduced by GOP Texas Rep. Chip Roy and garnered widespread Republican support.
Over 100 House Republicans co-sponsored the legislation that would add a measure of security to bar illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections. "Federal law has been interpreted to prohibit states from checking to see if you're a citizen even though, technically, the law says you must be a citizen," Roy said in an exclusive to Breitbart.
This is a commonsense measure that would make elections more secure by keeping illegal voters from casting a ballot. However, the White House predictably released a statement Monday vowing to block the legislation should it make it to the president's desk.
The statement claimed that measures are already in place to prevent ineligible voters from casting a ballot. Moreover, the Biden administration pushed for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would allow felons to vote and implement automatic voter registration.
The White House Office of Management and Budget statement downplayed the need for such safeguards for elections. "It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections — it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines," the document said.
"The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily disproven falsehoods. Additionally, making a false claim of citizenship or unlawfully voting in an election is punishable by removal from the United States and a permanent bar to admission," the statement went on.
"States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters' eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls," the document added.
"The evidence is clear that the current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working as intended — it is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in Federal elections," the administration claimed. It's unclear how they would know how many fraudulent ballots are cast.
BREAKING.🚨
The White House issues statement *OPPOSING* the SAVE Act stopping ILLEGAL ALIENS from voting in U.S. Elections.
"The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act... The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily… pic.twitter.com/f8abvUkekk
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 8, 2024
Most Americans understand that requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is a good idea. A 2022 poll revealed that 65% of all voters favored the requirement.
Republicans were the most enthusiastic, with 88% supporting the measure while just 48% of Democrats agreed with that measure. Among swing voters, 65% support the requirement.
Former President Donald Trump, the presumed presidential GOP nominee, hit back at Democrats who oppose the SAVE Act and urged Republicans to pass it. In a post to Truth Social Tuesday, Trump told GOP lawmakers to pass it "or go home and cry yourself to sleep," Fox News reported.
"The Dems can't win on their policies, the only way they can win is to CHEAT. They do it at every level of government, and they do it well. That's how they get an incapacitated moron like Joe Biden elected," Trump explained. "The Justice Department is CORRUPT and won't do a thing to help. They have no shame!"
There's no good reason to oppose the SAVE Act except that it makes cheating more difficult. The Democrats are showing their hand by objecting to the legislation that should be a slam dunk.
