Floor Speech on SAVE America Act

"One of the most despicable pieces of legislation," an "attack on our sacred right to vote," and "a voter suppression bill." These are just some of the hysterical things that Democrats have said lately about the SAVE America Act.

I disagree, and so do most Americans. In fact, 64 percent of adults say that the SAVE America Act is a good idea and will help ensure that only eligible citizens can vote in our elections.

After all, only Americans should have a say in who runs our country. Voting in our elections is a privilege and a right of American citizens, not of millions of illegal aliens who flooded into our country under Joe Biden.

Again, you don't have to take my word for it. Sixty-two percent of Americans support requiring proof of citizenship to vote. The SAVE America Act will ensure that every voter in our elections is an American citizen. Because the bill allows numerous forms of documentation to serve as proof of citizenship, every American will be able to cast a ballot.

Most Americans also agree that every voter should have a valid ID. Polls consistently show that more than 80 percent of voters support voter ID requirements. And I've got some bad news for my Democratic colleagues: these polls also show that 71 percent of Democrats support voter ID.

Instead of listening to their own voters, Democrats in Washington claim that the SAVE America Act is Jim Crow 2.0. Apparently, asking voters to confirm that they are who they say they are is racist. That's laughable. Just think about all of the different places you've been asked to show your ID lately.

Last weekend, I took a flight, had to show an ID. I rented a car, had to show an ID. I checked into a hotel, had to show an ID. I bought medicine-over-the-counter medicine, mind you-and yes, had to show an ID. I'm very confident that Delta, Enterprise, Marriott, and Walmart don't ask me for ID because they're racist. I know they need to confirm my identity for security purposes.

Buy a beer at a bar? You get asked for an ID. Buy a pack of smokes at the gas station? You get asked for an ID. Open a bank account? You get asked for an ID.

Oh, but the Democrats say, voting is different, voting is a constitutional right. Fair enough. Guess what? Want to exercise your Second Amendment right to buy a gun? You get asked for an ID. Want to exercise your First Amendment right "to petition the government for a redress of grievances" in this very building? Sorry to report, you have to show an ID if you have an appointment in the Capitol.

In fact, the only reason that I can imagine Democrats would oppose the SAVE America Act is to make it easier to cheat in our elections. As the polling data shows, Democrats are, yet again, on the wrong side of an 80-20 issue. It's no wonder they want to ignore Americans and tilt the odds in their favor.

So to the excitable Democrats who claim that the SAVE America Act will destroy our democracy, I say that the opposite is true.

No nation can have a healthy democracy without secure elections. For these reasons, I urge all senators to vote for the SAVE America Act.