Trump loses key Senate ally as election integrity fight enters critical phase
President Donald Trump’s top election integrity priority has been stalled in the Senate for months, and with the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the push has lost a key...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump’s top election integrity priority has been stalled in the Senate for months, and with the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the push has lost a key player in getting the bill across the line. Graham was not just a vocal proponent of the SAVE America Act; he was the Senate Budget Committee chair, a position that is crucial in setting the foundation and guardrails for the party-line process Trump has demanded Republicans take to pass the bill. His sudden death on Sunday came as the House was gearing up to launch a third budget reconciliation attempt in a bid to fund the Pentagon and attach a version of the SAVE America Act to the party-line undertaking. SENATE RETURNS TO PACKED AGENDA AFTER GRAHAM'S DEATH SHRINKS GOP MARGIN "This is a big blow to the SAVE America Act, let me tell you," Trump said after Graham’s death. It’s a maneuver that Graham has wanted to make as soon as the political reality of the bill became clear in the Senate, where a cohort of Senate Republicans have broken from Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to block the bill with Senate Democrats. In early April, Graham vowed to make a "down payment" on the SAVE America Act through reconciliation. 'DID YOU CALL 911?' TUBERVILLE RECOUNTS GRAHAM'S FRANTIC FINAL PHONE CALL "Voter integrity laws — I'm going to create grant programs, but they'll have conditions on them," Graham said. "To get a grant, you’ve got to make sure you purge your rolls of illegal immigrants. There are a lot of blue states out there that don't do that, and we'll try to get as much of a voter ID system as I can." His position on the Senate Budget Committee won’t remain vacant, however. Sen. Ron Johnson R-Wis., is expected to take the gavel, but has not yet been formally tapped for the role. Still, he is already getting up to speed with staff on the committee and his colleagues in the House. GRAHAM EYES ‘DOWN PAYMENT’ ON TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT "I just walked by…