President Trump said Congress needs to pass a new voter ID law before November’s midterm elections to stop Democrats from cheating.
The president used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to give lawmakers clear instructions to prioritize the measure over other legislation, even as the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 11 days because Senate Democrats are blocking funding to demand immigration enforcement changes.
Mr. Trump demanded “the full and immediate restoration of all funding” for DHS but quickly pivoted to what he said was his most important priority – passing the SAVE America Act, a bill that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote and an ID to cast a ballot.
“Congress should unite and enact this common-sense, country-saving legislation right now – and it should be before anything else happens,” the president said.
Mr. Trump said, without providing evidence, that “cheating is rampant in our elections.”
He said Democrats’ only reason for opposing voter ID, an issue that an overwhelming majority of the American people in both parties support, is because “they want to cheat.”
“They have cheated and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat,” Mr. Trump said. “And we’re going to stop it. We have to stop it John.”
The last comment was directed at Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, who is under pressure from some GOP lawmakers and activists to find a way to skirt the Senate’s 60-vote requirement to pass the SAVE America Act.
Mr. Trump did not direct the Senate on how to get the bill to his desk, but he has previously endorsed scrapping the filibuster – something Republicans lack the votes to do – or using the talking filibuster, a cumbersome process that does not necessarily require a rules change to pass a bill with a simple majority.
A few Democratic lawmakers spoke up when Mr. Trump accused them of cheating in elections.
“You’re telling on yourself,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Democrat.
Rep. Gwen Moore, Wisconsin Democrat, shouted: “Save democracy, save voter rights!”
• Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.
