Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1057, I call up the bill (S. 1383) to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1383, the SAVE America Act. I thank my colleague, Chip Roy, for his work on this bill, as well as my colleagues on the Committee on House Administration.

Today, Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to move forward with election integrity and to regain the trust of the American people in the way that we operate our elections.

The SAVE America Act has two key principles, both of which are common sense. The individuals who want to vote in U.S. elections should be U.S. citizens, and we should have a proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote. The second principle is that individuals when they vote show voter ID. Both of these are commonsense principles.

We know there are some on the other side of the aisle who want noncitizens to vote in our elections. In fact, we could just look at our Nation's Capital, which allows noncitizens to vote under current law in municipal elections.

I am of the view that U.S. elections should be for U.S. citizens only and that we should be proving that citizenship at the point in time that an individual registers to vote.

We should also be showing voter ID when we go to vote. This is a commonsense principle. The American people know that they need to show photo identification when they board an airplane, open a bank account, or buy a six-pack of beer.

I am often reminded of a debate we had at committee, and then I flew home to my home State of Wisconsin. I went to go buy a six-pack of beer. The clerk recognized me and said: Hi, Bryan. I said: How are you doing? She said: I need to see your ID. I handed over my ID. She confirmed it and allowed me to buy the beer.

I think it is nuts that we protect our beer in this country more than our ballots in jurisdictions. This is our opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to change that, to instill significant election integrity.

Before I close, let me say that during this debate today, we are likely to hear all sorts of comments from my colleagues on the left. They will make arguments about disenfranchisement. They will use terms like ``Jim Crow 2.0.'' I remind everyone watching to reflect back on the same language that was used when Georgia instituted election integrity provisions in 2021.

We can actually look, because the State of Georgia has operated two significant elections since then, and voter participation remained high. The University of Georgia conducted a significant survey to determine how people experienced the election in the State of Georgia. What they found was that people had a positive experience in how that election was conducted across all key demographic groups. The survey found statistically zero percent of Blacks had a poor or negative voting experience in the State of Georgia.

Making sure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat is a core principle. As we instill election integrity in our system, we will see more people participating because they will have faith in our elections.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of S.

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Mr. STEIL. Tenney), the founder and chair of the Election Integrity Caucus.

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Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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Mr. STEIL.

Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, what do airplanes, Costco, alcohol, tobacco, entering a nightclub, and opening a checking account all have in common? We have to show our ID.

We require identification for everyday activities. Why on Earth would we not require it for something as sacred as determining the future of this Republic?

When the SAVE America Act becomes the law of the land, three simple things will be true:

Number one, everyone who shows up to vote in a Federal election will have to show their photo ID.

Number two, States will only register American citizens to vote in Federal elections.

Number three, States will actually have to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.

Every American--Republican, Democrat, or unaffiliated--wants to know that their vote counts and is not canceled out by someone who is here illegally. This bill ensures just that.

The right to vote is precious, and the SAVE Act restores confidence, strengthens integrity, and protects the voice of every lawful American citizen. I am confident my colleagues in the House will do the right thing and vote to secure our elections.

I now address my colleagues in the Senate.

Save America. Bring this bill to the Senate floor to debate. They should own their position in front of the American people. They must use every tool at their disposal, including the talking filibuster, to ensure that this bill makes it to the President Trump's desk.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot delay securing our elections and defending our Republic.
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Mr. STEIL. Hageman).

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Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. VAN DREW. Mr. Speaker, how is this even a serious debate? Think about what my colleagues on the other side are saying today.

They are saying that American minorities are not capable of showing an ID to vote. It is an insult. It is abusive. In reality, 76 percent of Black Americans support voter ID in poll after poll, and 82 percent of Latino Americans support voter ID in poll after poll.

What the left is saying is that they don't trust the American people to prove who they really are. Americans show an ID to board a plane. Americans show an ID to drive a car. Americans show an ID to open a bank account. Americans show an ID to enter Federal buildings and for a host of other reasons.

Of course we should expect it for American elections. It doesn't silence voters. It empowers voters. It only ensures that Americans are voting in American elections. For God's sake, why would anybody be opposed to that? Think about it.
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Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Speaker, let's bring this debate to its close. The questions before Members of the House of Representatives are very clear. One, do you think individuals should be U.S. citizens and prove that when they register to vote? Yes or no? Two, should individuals going to vote need to present voter ID upon arrival at the polls? Yes or no?

If you believe, like I do, in a commonsense proposal to make sure that only U.S. citizens are registering to vote and that people are who they say they are when they go to the polls, you should vote ``yes.''

The answer to this is easy. It is common sense. It is why it is popular. Let's make sure we reinstall integrity in our elections.

For the record, let me just clear up a few misconceptions that our colleagues on the left have tried time and time again to bring.

First, are noncitizens voting in U.S. elections? We know what the Democratic playbook is. We only have to look here in our Nation's Capital, where noncitizens under current law are allowed to vote in municipal elections. We know our Democratic colleagues want noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections. It is why making sure that we are ensuring individuals who are registering to vote, in particular for Federal elections, are U.S. citizens.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle bring up the married woman argument. As you may know, Mr. Speaker, I am engaged and going to be married in a few weeks from now. My fiancee is planning to change her name, move to the great State of Wisconsin, and register to vote. She and countless other individuals will have no problem registering under this bill. You can bring forward your identification. You can sign an attestation if you don't have the documentation.

We want to make sure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat. We could look at our committee hearing that we had just this week where we brought in the secretary of state of Wyoming, which has strong election integrity provisions. We asked the gentleman on the record, the secretary of state. Wyoming has delivered and shown the American people that you can implement citizenship verification and photo identification without the problems, without the hyperbole that we continue to hear on the left.

We heard hyperbole as it relates to information being shared with DHS' SAVE database. They only offer the first part, that it goes to DHS. Why? Read the bill. It is actually to check if individuals who are on the voter rolls in States across the country are citizens of the United States. Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't want to check the voter rolls to determine if an individual is a citizen of the United States. It should leave you with a great question as to why they are concerned.

We should be checking and cleaning up the voter rolls and removing individuals who are not eligible to vote. Every citizen deserves the right to vote. One individual who is ineligible to vote is one too many because it casts out the vote of a legal United States citizen.

Finally, we hear arguments against voter ID. This is a core, commonsense principle. My colleague, Mr. Bean, brought up the example that it is illegal for an underage individual to purchase a beer, but as you go to buy a beer, you get asked for your ID. As I said earlier, I think it is absolutely nuts that we protect our beer more than our ballots in jurisdictions across this country.

If you are like me and think that we should have voter ID, vote ``yes'' on the SAVE America Act. This is our opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to take a major step forward in election integrity, making sure that U.S. elections are for U.S. citizens only and making sure that people are who they say they are by checking voter ID when individuals go to vote. It is a commonsense proposal.

The American people will get to see where their Member stands, and I encourage every Member of this Chamber to vote ``yes'' on the SAVE America Act.

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