Election Law and Voting Policy

Sen. Mike Lee has urged President Trump to invoke a rare constitutional power to force Congress back from recess, even as Sen. Lindsey Graham — as Senate Budget Committee chair — plans to use a fall budget reconciliation package as a “down payment” on the Trump‑backed SAVE Act by crafting federal grant conditions that would push states to purge voter rolls of illegal immigrants and adopt voter‑ID–style measures. Graham acknowledges reconciliation’s limits and the plan would move without Democratic support since the full SAVE Act cannot clear a filibuster, while Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, say their opposition targets mass voter‑roll purges they view as suppressive rather than basic photo ID.

President Biden? No—Trump signed an executive order on March 31, 2026 directing DHS (with SSA data) to compile federal “verified eligible voter” or state citizenship lists, bar USPS from mailing absentee ballots to anyone not on those lists, require trackable barcoded ballot envelopes, and authorize enforcement measures including DOJ investigations and potential funding penalties. Within hours the DNC, Democratic governors’ and campaign groups, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a coalition of 23 states plus D.C. sued in federal court, arguing the order usurps state election authority, violates the Constitution and federal law, risks misflagging citizens and disenfranchising voters, and will likely be blocked as prior similar orders were.