(PatriotNews.net) – Former President Donald Trump is urging Republicans in Congress to let the government shut down if they can’t get election integrity reforms passed. On Tuesday, Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that GOP lawmakers should refuse to pass a budget unless they secure stronger election security measures. His main concern is what he calls “illegal aliens” being added to voter rolls, which he believes would harm the integrity of elections.
Trump’s comments come as the House of Representatives, led by Republicans, is debating a short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution. This bill would keep the government running for another six months, until March 2024. Along with the spending measure, some Republicans want to include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a law that would require voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
The SAVE Act passed the House earlier this year with some bipartisan support but didn’t get a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. The act aims to make sure that only U.S. citizens can vote and requires states to remove non-citizens from their voter lists. Supporters of the act argue that it closes loopholes and prevents voter fraud. However, critics say the law would make it harder for legal voters to register and is unnecessary.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has pushed hard for the SAVE Act, pointing to states like Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia, where non-citizens have reportedly appeared on voter lists. But even if this bill passes the House, it’s unlikely to succeed in the Senate, and President Biden has promised to veto it if it reaches his desk.
Congress is on a tight deadline. If lawmakers don’t reach a deal to fund the government soon, a shutdown could happen as early as October, just before the next presidential election.
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