Schumer Claims SAVE Act Could Remove ‘Tens of Millions’ From Voter Rolls

Senate Democrats are facing backlash after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) warned that “tens of millions” of voters could be removed from voter rolls if Republicans succeed in passing the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election reform proposal backed by President Donald Trump.

During remarks criticizing the legislation, Schumer argued that the bill would allow federal agencies to purge voter rolls on a massive scale.

“It’s about voter registration,” Schumer said. “It allows ICE to kick tens of millions of people off the rolls… And they don’t tell them until Election Day. And you show up and you say, you’re not registered anymore. You’re not on the rolls.”

“This is a bill that destroys the country,” he said. “It is not about showing ID when you show up to vote. It’s about the voter registration rolls, destroying them, purging them, not letting people know, and taking the rights in an algorithm put together by ICE, put together by DOGE and Musk.”

Republicans say the SAVE America Act is designed to enforce existing federal law requiring that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. The legislation would require documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, such as a passport or birth certificate, and would strengthen voter identification requirements at the polls.

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The bill would also direct states to more aggressively verify voter rolls using federal databases to ensure that non-citizens are not registered.

“All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote,” President Trump said during remarks at a Republican event in Miami. “No mail-in ballots, except for illness, disability, military or travel.”

He also suggested the legislation could dramatically reshape the country’s political landscape if enacted. He claimed that, if the bill were to pass, Democrats “probably won’t win an election for 50 years and maybe longer.”

The push for the SAVE America Act has become a major priority for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. Trump has repeatedly argued that stronger voter verification rules are necessary, citing concerns about potential vulnerabilities in the current system.

Democrats and voting rights advocates, meanwhile, have criticized the proposal, warning that it could make voter registration more difficult for some eligible voters. Despite the criticism, Trump signaled he intends to keep pressing forward.

Trump also said on Truth Social on Sunday that the Save America act “must be done immediately” and “supersedes everything else”.

In the same post, Trump urged lawmakers to fast-track the legislation and warned that he may refuse to sign other bills until it is passed.

“MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD,” he wrote.

The House of Representatives passed the latest version of the SAVE America Act in February by a narrow 218–213 vote, largely along party lines. The measure now faces an uncertain path in the Senate, where it would likely need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

Even with those procedural hurdles, Trump has raised the stakes around the bill in recent days. He has warned that other legislation could stall unless Congress sends the election reform measure to his desk. Trump has framed the proposal as a straightforward step to restore trust in American elections, arguing that proof-of-citizenship requirements are a basic safeguard already used in many parts of daily life.

With midterm elections approaching and pressure building in Washington, the SAVE America Act has quickly become one of the most contentious legislative fights on Capitol Hill.