Trump presses Senate on SAVE Act as Iran tensions rise

H.R. 22 would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections.

The House passed it on April 10, 2025, by a 220-208 vote after Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced it on January 3, 2025. Its text also would require states to keep verifying voter rolls, remove noncitizens and create penalties and a private right of action for violations. The measure has remained in the Senate since the House sent it over.

Trump’s meeting with Senate Republicans on June 24 turned tense as the conversation shifted to the War Powers Resolution and Iran. Trump told Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy to sit down, and Cassidy answered that he would sit down, but not at Trump’s command. The Senate had approved a Democrat-led resolution the day before to restrict further military action in Iran, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support. Lisa Murkowski later criticized Trump’s decision to hold up a housing bill while demanding action on the SAVE Act, saying it was not helpful to him or the country.

The same day, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met Trump at the White House ahead of a July summit in Ankara after Trump was angered by allies’ reluctance to back the U.S. campaign in Iran and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Rutte used charts to show that NATO members have increased defense spending since Trump first took office in 2017, and argued that the resistance was limited to isolated cases. Trump remained skeptical and said the U.S. had been “let down” by allies.

Italy pushed back on Rutte’s account, saying it had authorized only technical and logistical flights.