Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that no funding agreement should be reached with the Department of Homeland Security until congressional Democrats approve a bill that would require voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
A NewsNation reporter posted on the
The bill requiring proof of citizenship when registering voters is known as the “Save America Act.” It currently lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome Democratic opposition in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats.
Trump also said he was prepared to deploy agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the Department of Homeland Security, at airports “as long as needed,” NewsNation reported. Trump said this weekend he would deploy ICE agents at airports until Democratic lawmakers agree to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
“Now that I do it, the Democrats want a deal. I don’t think there should be any deal on it until they approve Save America,” Trump said.
Supporters of the bill believe it will help stop voter fraud. Republicans echoed Trump’s false claims that large numbers of people in the country voted illegally in U.S. elections.
Democrats and other critics of the bill argue it could disenfranchise Americans who do not have ready access to passports, birth certificates and other forms of identification.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Stephen Coates)
