Duckworth-Lee Clash Highlights SAVE America Act

0:00It's March 26. This is Global News Today, your AI-powered source for World News. A heated exchange on X between Illinois Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth and Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee has spotlighted the SAV America Act. Duckworth claimed the bill blocks driver's licenses for voter registration, calling it a modern poll tax like needing a passport. Lee called that false, pointing to provisions for states to handle cases without standard proof of citizenship. The Act, which passed the House in April 2025, demands documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration, most driver's licenses prove you can drive, but not citizenship. Only enhanced versions from five states like Michigan and New York qualify and their rare. Regular real ID cards available to citizens and some non-citizens won't cut it without extra docs like a birth certificate or passport. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, push the bill to stop non-citizen voting,

1:02which is already illegal and leads to felonies or deportation. Those cases are extremely rare, though. Democrats warn a burden's voters, especially with costs and delays for documents. A survey shows over 9% of voting age Americans, about 21,300,000 people, lack easy access to citizenship, proof. Groups like the Brennan Center say even real IDs fall short for most folks. Meanwhile, the bill sits in the Senate amid debates, with Trump tying it to efforts to resolve a homeland security shutdown causing travel chaos. Lawmakers on both sides dig in as voting access hangs in the balance.