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Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this week, we kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season. While fans across the country once again enjoy cheering on the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros, I am reminded of the wise words of one of the great legends of America's pastime. Baseball Hall of Fame legend Babe Ruth once said:

It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.

For several days now, the Senate has been debating and considering the SAVE America Act. This bill would simply require individuals to present proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote as well as photo identification before voting in a Federal election.

To show how far the Democrats have gone in opposing commonsense measures, one of the amendments to this bill was one that would counter Democrats' dangerous and radical gender ideology by prohibiting men from competing in women's sports.

Our Democratic colleagues should be embarrassed by their opposition, but of course, they are not, and they did not agree. Poll after poll shows that Americans are strongly opposed to men competing in women's sports. Republicans will not give up on this issue, and the American people are with us.

We also will not waver on our support for the SAVE America Act because it will secure the Nation's elections. Voter ID is just common sense. We all know that. In this country, you need an ID for almost everything you do--from boarding a plane, to entering a Federal building, to buying a beer, to renting a car, to opening a bank account, to renting a hotel room.

Presenting an ID is a facet of almost every aspect of our daily lives. So why should it be prohibited in terms of exercising one of the most important prerogatives that American citizens can perform, which is casting their ballots? There is simply no rational explanation as to why Democrats are against this.

Of course, in trying to think of what possible reason they could have, one is, of course, the most obvious, which is Trump derangement syndrome. Democrats have made it their mission to deny, refute, and obstruct every single policy put forward by President Trump simply because he supports it. If President Trump supports it, they oppose it. Of course, they won't put it in those terms. Instead, they falsely claim that the SAVE America Act will disenfranchise voters. Well, it is a fascinating thing to me that anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of the people who are polled say they support the requirement for a photo ID. So I suppose, by logic, based on the Democrats' position, that 70 to 80 percent of the people polled are for disenfranchising themselves. Well, obviously, that makes no sense whatsoever.

Earlier this week, the minority leader, Senator Schumer, said the SAVE Act is not about election integrity; it is voter suppression, plain and simple. Well, it is really interesting. You know, we have videos of then-Representative Schumer who said 30 years ago:

[O]ne way to prove you are a bona fide person who can have a job is to ask for a driver's license and a Social Security card.

So my question to Senator Schumer is this: Which is true and which is false? Both statements cannot be true.

It seems that Senator Schumer is of two minds on this topic depending on political expediency, but we all know what is going on. We all know what is going on. The fact is that Democrats are masquerading their opposition to President Trump as voter suppression, but we all know that that is not true. The only votes that will be suppressed as a result of the passage of this bill will be those of noncitizens, who cannot legally vote in the first place.

Our Democratic colleagues may say: Well, it is already illegal.

There are a lot of things that are illegal that, if not enforced, deterrence will not occur; that accountability will not occur. So let me set the record straight. The only votes that will be suppressed by the SAVE America Act are those of noncitizens or illegal aliens.

One other theory I have heard suggested is: For 4 years, President Biden had open border policies. He let in literally millions of people into the country. As for many of them, we don't know who they are or what they are doing. Occasionally, we find out when they commit criminal acts against innocent American citizens. Now that President Biden has opened the borders, what we are attempting to do is make sure that only American citizens get to vote, but Democrats are opposed. The only reason Democrats, beyond Trump derangement syndrome, would oppose this is that they want the people who came in during the 4 years of Biden's open border policies to be able to cast a ballot.

If anything, voter ID empowers Americans to vote, and it protects the integrity of the voting process because every illegitimate vote that is cast undermines and dilutes a legitimate voter's ballot. By requiring voter ID, it will give people greater trust in our elections and faith in the outcomes. We need to restore the public's trust in our institutions, including elections. The more people believe that our elections are free and fair, the more they will participate in those elections, which is something we should all want.

President Abraham Lincoln famously laid out his vision for our Nation in the Gettysburg Address when he talked about a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Well, what he was talking about was government by American citizens--the people who are legitimately casting their ballots and no one else. Nowhere do these words read truer than at the ballot box where the American people cast their votes and make their voices heard. This, of course, is how our democracy works. It hinges on the belief that elections are free and fair and secure and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Requiring proof of citizenship is the surest and safest way we can help build trust and confidence with the American people and instill confidence in our elections. Self-government itself means nothing without free and fair elections.

As I have said multiple times this last week, this is an 80-20 issue; but of course, our Democratic colleagues believe that 80 percent who support these commonsense measures literally want to disenfranchise themselves, which is ridiculous. Public opinion is clear: The American people overwhelmingly support voter ID and proof of citizenship for voting. In 2025, the Pew Research Center showed 83 percent of voters, including 71 percent of Democrats, supported requiring photo ID at the voting booth. The facts speak for themselves: Americans want and deserve photo ID.

We will continue to fight to pass the SAVE America Act and deliver on the mandate given to us by the American people.

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