Sen. Thom Tillis arrives to attend a briefing for senators on the situation in Venezuela, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump's obsession with ending mail-in voting, even for those who are sick or serving in the military, has several Republicans at odds with him, according to The Hill, and the brewing conflict could further sink the SAVE America Act.
Trump has pushed hard for Republicans in Congress to pass the bill, which would require proof of citizenship for individuals registering to vote and a photo ID at polling places, based on his long-debunked claims that undocumented immigrants are committing widespread voter fraud. While it was able to pass in the House, the SAVE Act has stalled out in the Senate due to the filibuster, and now, some of its other provisions are causing a stir among Republicans.
At Trump's behest, the SAVE Act would also eliminate mail-in voting or absentee voting, even for those serving overseas, living out-of-state or dealing with an illness. The president has long claimed that voting by mail, which was more widely embraced by Democrats in 2020, is another source of fraud, despite providing no evidence to support the idea. According to a Tuesday report from The Hill, this provision has gone down poorly with several Republicans in states where these voting methods are widely popular.
The provisions in the bill to tackle mail-in voting were reportedly added in a "last-minute push" from Trump, and have left a number of GOP lawmakers "p——ed off," to the point where the bill might not have enough votes even if the filibuster rules are changed.
"Republicans from rural states are concerned that eliminating mail-in balloting for people unless they have strong excuses like serious illness, disability, military duty or travel will hurt GOP-leaning voters in remote areas who then would be forced to travel long distances to vote," The Hill explained.
Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, to notable critics of Trump, have already pledged to vote against the SAVE Act, while sources also indicated to The Hill that votes from Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Curtis of Utah are in doubt.
"I’m a no because we don’t have a plan," Tillis said. "There’s no path for success. I was a no on the talking filibuster path, and this one is going to produce the same result."
One anonymous Republican told the outlet that Trump's anti-mail-in voting push was "problematic."
“I think it’s problematic because in some of these states, 60 or 70 percent of people vote by mail," the lawmaker said. "You don’t want to disenfranchise them. Some states have really encouraged it over the years."