In a Friday appearance on the Politico show “The Conversation with Dasha Burns,” Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania clarified his stance on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Despite his previous comments suggesting that requiring a photo ID to vote is not an unreasonable expectation, the Democrat confirmed he will not support the Republican-backed legislation.
During the interview, Burns noted that Fetterman has deviated from much of his party by not opposing voter ID and explained that the SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Fetterman acknowledged the general concept of identification but explicitly rejected the bill.
READ: Op-Ed: Arrogance Of Selective Outrage; Why Today’s “Border Critics” Are Actually To Blame
“I don’t support SAVE Act. I don’t. It’s in a weird time where it’s like if I say it’s not unreasonable to produce an ID — that’s not unreasonable,” Fetterman said.
When Burns asked directly, “So, would you vote in favor of the SAVE Act?” Fetterman avoided a simple yes or no initially.
He instead appeared to criticize Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for describing the SAVE Act as “Jim Crow 2.0.” Fetterman remarked, “A lot of majority of Americans think it’s pretty reasonable, but that’s the point. And why people keep talking about the SAVE is bizarre, too, because it’s not going anywhere. It’s not going anywhere.”
Burns repeated her question about whether Fetterman would vote in support of the SAVE Act.
“No. No, I won’t. But even if I loved it and I vote for it, I’ll be the only Democrat and that doesn’t matter because we won’t come anywhere close to hitting 60 [votes],” the senator said, referring to the threshold to break the filibuster.
READ: CNN Host Abby Phillip Claims Tom Homan Is Wrong About ‘Missing’ Migrant Children
The House of Representatives passed a version of the act 216-213 on Thursday, with only one Democratic lawmaker joining Republicans. The bill mandates proof of citizenship to register, enacts a voter ID requirement, and prohibits mail-only voter registrations.
The debate comes as data suggests a lack of controversy among the public regarding voter identification.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
