Exclusive— Sen. Tom Cotton: Democrats Oppose SAVE Act to ‘Cheat’ in Elections



Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

by Olivia Rondeau 23 Feb 2026

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said the Democrats’ opposition to the SAVE America Act is because “they want to make it easy to cheat in our elections” in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News.

The proposed legislation, also known as the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, would require people to prove their American citizenship with a U.S. passport or birth certificate to register to vote, and to provide photo ID at the polling station.

Endorsed by President Donald Trump, the election integrity bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week with the support of just one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

In the Senate, the act faces a steeper hill to climb due to the 60-vote threshold to bypass the filibuster.

Currently, Republicans say they have 50 senators on board while Democrats say they will block the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) argued that the act is “Jim Crow 2.0,” telling MS NOW’s Morning Joe viewers that Republicans are trying to do “the same thing that was done in the South for decades to prevent people of color from voting.”

Cotton, chair of the Senate Republican Conference, blasted Schumer’s insulting take on social media:

Tom Cotton
@TomCottonAR
·
Follow

Let's call it like it is: Chuck Schumer opposes voter ID because he wants to make it easy to commit voter fraud.

12:00 PM · Feb 6, 2026

“Let’s call it like it is: Chuck Schumer opposes voter ID because he wants to make it easy to commit voter fraud,” he wrote on X.

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, Cotton reiterated that the Democrats are working against election security.

“Senate Democrats oppose voter ID for one reason: they want to make it easy to cheat in our elections. Almost every American supports voter ID and there’s no excuse to stop it.”

Despite claims by Schumer and other Democrats that voter ID is somehow racist, a Pew Research Center survey shows that it is overwhelmingly popular amongst Americans of different ethnicities, including black and Latino voters:

(((Harry Enten)))
@ForecasterEnten
·
Follow

Americans agree with Nicki Minaj when it comes to voter id. 83% of favor photo voter id to vote per Pew. This includes 70%+ of Democrats and Republicans, as well as 75%+ of Americans across races.... White, Black, and Latino. It's not controversial.



https://twitter.com/i/status/2018727149050741020

11:43 AM · Feb 3, 2026

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...eat-elections/