Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri voiced disapproval of four Republican colleagues who sided with Democrats to oppose including the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in the Senate’s reconciliation package. Hawley questioned, ‘You can’t explain to me why you wouldn’t vote for voter ID.’
During a recent vote-a-rama, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina joined Democrats to block an amendment aimed at integrating the election-integrity measure into the GOP’s budget proposal. ‘I guess it’s frustration,’ Hawley remarked in an interview. He mentioned Missouri’s efforts, stating that voters there had incorporated voter ID into their constitution.
Voter ID is a highly popular measure, according to Hawley. He argues it is essential for ensuring safe and fair elections. Nonetheless, Republican attempts to pass the legislation as part of a $70 billion budget reconciliation package—intended to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol—were unsuccessful.
Some senators who opposed the SAVE Act contended that voter ID laws and election integrity are best addressed at the state level, not federally. Hawley countered this viewpoint by highlighting Congress’s longstanding role in setting federal election rules. ‘We make federal rules all the time for elections,’ Hawley pointed out, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding ballot integrity in federal elections.
For instance, Congress has enacted various election laws, such as the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, which adjusted presidential election certification procedures.
The SAVE Act would mandate that individuals provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering for federal elections and present photo identification when voting.
Hawley cited that 37 states, including several Democratic-leaning ones, already have voter ID laws in place. He argued, ‘Sooner or later this is going to happen because I think the American people are going to demand it.’
Hannah Brennan, a Digital Production Assistant with the Politics team at Fox News, contributed to this report. She graduated early from the University of Colorado Boulder in December 2025 and began working with Fox News Digital in January 2026.