Trump’s anti-voting bill is far more radical than just a ‘voter ID’ proposal

Donald Trump has said more than once over the last year or so that he doesn’t really expect Congress to do a whole lot during the remainder of his presidency. There is, however, one rather dramatic exception to this: He wants something that he has labeled the SAVE America Act.

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In fact, he has repeatedly demanded that the Republican-led House and Senate prioritize his preferred package above all other considerations, to the point that he even derailed a popular and bipartisan housing bill, championed by the leaders of his own party, effectively taking the measure hostage this week until lawmakers pass the SAVE America Act.

Shortly after the president’s tantrum, he met behind closed doors with Senate Republicans, who planned to explain to him that his bill would not and could not pass: Not only would it face a 60-vote threshold in the chamber that the legislation couldn’t clear, but it doesn’t even appear to have the support of 50 senators.

Trump, by all accounts, ignored the assessment and told senators to make it happen anyway — even if that means eliminating the Senate’s filibuster rule altogether, which many GOP senators have no interest in doing.

There’s no reason to assume that the president will ultimately get what he wants. But as the process moves forward, it’s worth appreciating just how outrageous the poorly named SAVE America Act is.

It’s rather common to see news organizations, which have a limited amount of space in a headline, describe the president’s proposal as a “voter ID bill.” It’s an unfortunate shorthand — because that’s just a small part of a broader package.

The proposal would make it harder to register to vote: In response to a problem that does not exist in reality, Americans who wish to register to vote would be required to prove their citizenship. That wouldn’t just be the imposition of an unnecessary hassle; it would also be an even bigger burden on tens of millions of Americans who don’t have ready access to a documentary proof of citizenship.