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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of House Democratic Leadership, spoke on the House floor in opposition to H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation that requires voters to provide a birth certificate, naturalization papers, or passport matching their current name to vote in a federal election. The legislation provides no alternative pathway for women who changed their name after marriage to prove their citizenship so they can cast their ballot.

“House Republicans are forcing a vote this week on the so-called SAVE Act – a bill that does nothing to stop inflation from driving up grocery prices, nothing to end Donald Trump’s trade war that is pummeling the stock market, and nothing to protect Americans’ retirements,” Congresswoman Trahan said. “Instead, this is a messaging bill, sloppily written and dangerously flawed, designed to create confusion and chaos in our electoral system rather than strengthen it.”

CLICK HERE or the image below to view Trahan’s speech. A transcript is embedded below.

H.R. 22 requires that all Americans prove their citizenship status by providing an original copy of their birth certificate, naturalization papers, or passport matching their current name in person to register to vote or update their voter registration information. There are as many as 69 million American women who have taken their spouse’s name after marriage and do not have a birth certificate matching their legal name. Additionally, half of all Americans do not possess a passport.

H.R. 22 provides no alternative option for these women to register to vote or amend their voter registration.

“This isn’t just bureaucratic nonsense. It is an outrageous attack on the rights of women across our country,” Congresswoman Trahan continued. “And the worst part, Madam Speaker, is that Republicans have known that this was an issue with this bill for years, and they’ve done nothing to fix it. They either don’t care that millions of American women will be stripped of their right to vote, or that has been their goal all along.”

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Congresswoman Lori Trahan

Remarks As Delivered

Floor Speech on H.R. 22, The SAVE Act

April 1, 2025

Madam Speaker, we are witnessing yet another shameful attack on the fundamental rights of millions of Americans. House Republicans are forcing a vote this week on the so-called SAVE Act – a bill that does nothing to stop inflation from driving up grocery prices, nothing to end Donald Trump’s trade war that is pummeling the stock market, and nothing to protect Americans’ retirements.

Instead, this is a messaging bill, sloppily written and dangerously flawed, designed to create confusion and chaos in our electoral system rather than strengthen it. The SAVE Act claims to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections. And at first glance, that may seem logical if not for the fact that it is already illegal and has been for decades. Non-citizens caught voting in federal elections already face deportation and even jail time.

Time and again, when pressed for evidence of widespread non-citizen voting, Republicans have failed to produce a single credible example. The reason? Because the problem they claim to be solving simply doesn’t exist.

So why are we here today? Why are we debating a bill that addresses a non-existent problem while hardworking American families are struggling with rising costs and economic insecurity?

Because Republicans in Congress, they don’t have real solutions. Rather than addressing the issues that matter – like lowering grocery costs and helping families get ahead – they are prioritizing a bill that disenfranchises millions of American women. Roughly 69 million women – about 25% of eligible voters in our country – have IDs that do not match their birth certificates, usually because they changed their name once they got married. Under this bill, if they don’t have a passport – and half of Americans don’t – they wouldn’t be able to register to vote.

Think about that. Tens of millions of women, the backbone of our families and our communities, stripped of their right to vote simply because they got married.

Imagine a woman who has voted in every election since she turned 18, who pays her taxes, who contributes to her community. One day, she learns that because her name changed when she got married, she is suddenly unable to register to vote in her state. No amount of documentation – no social security card, no marriage license, no previous voter registration – will satisfy the requirements of this bill unless she possesses an updated passport or a birth certificate that matches her current name.

This isn’t just bureaucratic nonsense. It is an outrageous attack on the rights of women across our country. And the worst part, Madam Speaker, is that Republicans have known that this was an issue with this bill for years, and they’ve done nothing to fix it. They either don’t care that millions of American women will be stripped of their right to vote, or that has been their goal all along.

Either way, this is going to create chaos in every state in America, and it’s going to make it harder for Americans to participate in their democracy. And it appears to be the latest in a long series of tactics – like polling place closures and gerrymandering – designed to silence voters that Republican politicians don’t think they can win.

That’s not how democracy works. You don’t get to silence millions of Americans just because they might not like your policies. You represent them too.

So, I urge my colleagues to reject this dangerous legislation and protect the rights of every eligible voter in the country. Because our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard and every vote is counted. Thank you, I yield back.

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