Donald Trump has threatened to refuse to sign any legislation until Congress passes the Save America Act—an initiative that would tighten rules governing participation in elections.
The president, who has long advanced unsubstantiated claims that non-citizens are interfering in American elections—particularly ahead of midterm contests that could prove difficult for Republicans—said on Truth Social on Sunday that the Save America Act “must be passed immediately” and “takes precedence over everything else.”
“IT MUST BE AT THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST. AS PRESIDENT, I WILL NOT SIGN OTHER BILLS UNTIL IT IS PASSED—AND NOT IN SOME DILUTED VERSION, BUT IN FULL—GO ALL OUT,” he wrote.
Trump also listed provisions he believes should be included in the legislation, though many of them do not appear in the current draft. Among the demands are mandatory voter identification and proof of citizenship, a ban on mail-in voting except in limited circumstances, and—outside the electoral sphere—prohibitions on transgender participation in women’s sports and on gender-affirming medical procedures for minors.
The White House had earlier confirmed that Trump is insisting on the inclusion of provisions related to transgender issues in the bill. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that the president had “added a number of priorities” to the document, including a ban on “transgender transition procedures for minors.”
“We will not tolerate the mutilation of young children in this country. No men in women’s sports,” she said. “The fact that the president is bringing all these priorities together in a single piece of legislation shows how grounded in common sense they are.”
The Save America Act is the new name for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act—or Save Act—a bill that, in various forms, has been debated in Congress for more than two years.
The House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this year, but its prospects in the Senate remain highly uncertain. Advancing the measure would require at least 60 votes because of the filibuster rule. Republican senators are likely to face significant pressure to abolish the rule in order to push the legislation through. Ken Paxton—a Republican contender for a Texas Senate seat who is locked in a tense intra-party race against John Cornyn—has already said he would consider dropping out of the campaign if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster to pass the Save America Act. It remains unclear, however, how his potential withdrawal from the race would affect the bill’s progress in Congress.
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Trump has also floated the idea of federalizing elections, which are currently administered by state and local authorities representing different political forces across the country. An executive order he signed attempting to implement many provisions of the Save Act was largely blocked by the courts. In early February, he also suggested that Republicans should “take control” of and “nationalize” elections in 15 states to prevent a possible defeat for the party.
Among the central provisions of the Save Act is a requirement to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote—such as a passport or birth certificate; mandatory voter identification when casting a ballot; a ban on states registering voters without such documentation at the time of registration; an obligation for states to ensure that only U.S. citizens appear on voter rolls; and the ability for private individuals to file lawsuits against election officials if someone has been registered without documentary proof of citizenship. The bill also предусматривает potential criminal liability.
The measure would also require states to submit voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security for citizenship verification. The Department of Justice is already seeking access to such lists in several states and has filed lawsuits in some of them.
Civil-rights groups focused on voting rights warn that the legislation could effectively strip millions of Americans of their ability to vote. Only about half of the country’s residents possess a valid U.S. passport, while other documents—such as birth certificates—often do not match people’s current names. Particular concern has been raised about the potential consequences for married women who have changed their surnames, whose documents may not have been updated, creating additional barriers to participating in elections.
“The SAVE Act will disenfranchise Americans of all ages and races, but the impact will fall disproportionately on young voters and voters of color,” the Brennan Center for Justice said in February.
The bill would also significantly complicate the voter registration process and could hinder registration drives, which often rely on forms sent by mail. Even to obtain the option of voting by mail, voters would be required to present proof of citizenship in person.
Several states have already enacted laws requiring proof of citizenship to participate in elections, though their provisions vary from state to state. If adopted, the Save Act would take precedence over those rules with regard to federal elections.
Voting by non-citizens in the United States is extremely rare, yet the issue has remained a central concern for Republicans—and for Trump himself—for many years. In many instances when state authorities attempted to identify significant numbers of non-citizens on voter rolls, those flagged under suspicion turned out to be legitimate voters, including naturalized citizens.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, “there is no evidence that attempts by non-citizens to vote have ever been significant enough to affect the outcome of any election.” As an example, the organization cites a recent case in Utah, where officials reviewed voter rolls and identified only one instance of a non-citizen being registered and not a single case of a non-citizen casting a ballot.