Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., panned House Republicans' demands that voter ID legislation be included in the Trump-backed funding deal. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But doing so is a bridge too far for Schumer. The top Senate Democrat argued that the legislation, which has been sitting on the shelf in the House for months, is "reminiscent of Jim Crow-era laws," and would act as a means to suppress voters rather than encourage more secure elections.
"I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate," Schumer said in a statement.
"It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to. If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown," he continued.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS MUTINY SCHUMER’S DEAL WITH WHITE HOUSE, THREATENING LONGER SHUTDOWN
Rep. Steve Scalise, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Tom Cole appear during a news conference in Washington, Oct. 8, 2025. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And adding the bill would further disincentivize House Democrats, who are already leery of the deal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., may need their support given the anger simmering in his conference.
Further complicating matters is that if the modified package with the SAVE Act were to make it out of the House, it would have to go back to the Senate, creating a virtual ping-pong between the chambers as what was meant to be a short-term partial government shutdown drags on.
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Still, House Republicans aren’t backing off of their demands and have backup in the upper chamber from Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, and a co-sponsor of the updated SAVE Act.
"House Republicans shouldn't let Schumer dictate the terms of government funding," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said on X. "If Dems want to play games, no spending package should come out of the House without the SAVE Act attached — securing American elections must be a non-negotiable."
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/schumer-nukes-gop-push-jim-crow-era-voter-id-laws-trump-backed-shutdown-package