Durbin Calls Out House Republicans For Playing Politics And Attaching SAVE Act To Government Funding Bill

09.11.24

Durbin Calls Out House Republicans For Playing Politics And Attaching SAVE Act To Government Funding Bill

Durbin: The SAVE Act would make it more difficult for American citizens to register to vote & would inevitably lead to eligible registered voters being purged from the voter rolls

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called out U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) for playing partisan politics and attaching the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, to the government funding bill, which is essential to avoid an unnecessary shutdown that will harm millions of Americans. During his speech, Durbin praised Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) for their work on the Committee-which passed 11 of 12 bills out of Committee on a bipartisan basis.

Durbin said, "We are doing our job in the Senate. But unfortunately, recent history is repeating itself in the House under the leadership of Speaker Johnson. Instead of coming to the negotiating table with their Democratic colleagues-the only way to pass meaningful legislation in a divided Congress-or following the budget deal signed into law last year, they've been crafting partisan bills full of cuts and poison pills. And now, rather than take the Senate's lead in prioritizing responsible funding bills that can actually become law, House Republicans are once again trying to delay long-term funding agreements at the expense of the American people."

House Republicans introduced a continuing resolution to fund the government through March 28-a six-month delay from the annual deadline of September 30-which includes the SAVE Act.

"The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, would make it more difficult for American citizens to register to vote and would inevitably lead to eligible registered voters being purged from the voter rolls. Two things-first, it is already against the law for noncitizens to vote. Second, noncitizens rarely, if ever, vote. In the extremely rare scenario when a noncitizen votes-that individual can be federally prosecuted and sentenced to up to five years in prison. Put simply, there is no need for additional criminal penalties to deter noncitizen voting. The reality is that the SAVE Act would create problematic barriers for American citizens who are legally eligible to vote. Instead, we should be working together on bipartisan legislation to address real threats to our elections, such as AI technologies that can be used to spread disinformation to voters," said Durbin.

Durbin concluded, "The American people are tired of partisan bickering. They want us to do our job on a bipartisan basis. I encourage Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to put politics aside, and like the Senate, take seriously their duty to fund the government and avoid an unnecessary and damaging shutdown. To the Speaker, like it or not, this requires working with the other side of the aisle to find common ground. The American people expect that from us. Let's get it done."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.

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