10
Loading video...
By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Thirteen House Democrats joined Republicans on Wednesday to pass legislation containing new voter identification requirements for federal elections, giving the GOP bipartisan support on one of its signature election issues and reviving debate over the controversial SAVE America Act.
The House voted 232-198 on July 22 to pass H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act. Republican lawmakers attached the Voter ID Act to the stock-trading legislation, creating an unusual package that paired congressional ethics reforms with election law changes.
The vote comes as Republicans continue searching for ways to advance parts of the broader SAVE America Act, a Trump-backed election overhaul that has struggled to clear the Senate despite repeated House support.
Read More
Iraq, Syria, Libya: Countries With Political Leaders on Coins Trump Joins6 min read
8 Ways Trump’s Oval Office Has Changed Since Obama’s Presidency6 min read
House Passes the ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’—but Trump Is Exempt7 min read
Which Democrats Voted for the Voter ID Act?
The Democrats who voted in favor of the legislation were:
- Kathy Castor (Florida)
- Henry Cuellar (Texas)
- Don Davis (North Carolina)
- Jared Golden (Maine)
- Vicente Gonzalez (Texas)
- Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey)
- Marcy Kaptur (Ohio)
- Susie Lee (Nevada)
- Jared Moskowitz (Florida)
- Chris Pappas (New Hampshire)
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington)
- Darren Soto (Florida)
- Derek Tran (California)
Many of the lawmakers represent battleground districts or have established records of breaking with their party on issues such as immigration, energy policy and government spending. Their support gave Republicans a bipartisan vote on voter ID despite strong opposition from most House Democrats.
Representative Jared Golden told Newsweek: “Public servants should serve the public. That’s why I have been calling for a ban on members trading stocks for years, and while this bill doesn’t go as far as I’d like, it is a meaningful first step to reducing corruption and closing the door on insider trading.
"In the name of good government, I felt an obligation to vote yes. But I must also decry the majority for attaching electoral policies that I think go far beyond the reasonable requirements necessary to ensure only citizens can vote in our elections. Limiting absentee voting and requiring a photo ID at the polls every single year are unnecessary limitations on our right to vote. Attaching these provisions to a stock trading ban is a cynical, political move. I call on the Senate to strip these provisions and pass a clean stock trading ban instead.”
Similarly in a post on X, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez wrote: "Today I voted to ban Members of Congress from selling and trading individual stocks. But House Republicans took a broadly nonpartisan issue and inserted politics—provisions from the Save America Act.
"I’ve voted against these voter ID provisions repeatedly and Senate Republicans have made clear this has no path in the Senate. But with how hard it is to get Congress to govern itself, this is the best chance we have to enact a stock ban. It’s vital to start the work of restoring trust in Congress.
"With this bill passing the House, I am hopeful the Senate will see how important this work is, and send back to the House a clean version without voter ID provisions that can become law."
"I am committed to ensuring Congressmen and Congresswomen are not using their office and duty station to enrich themselves, and I'll cross party lines to ban stock trading for members of Congress. Voters deserve additional bipartisan legislation to deliver a full ban, but this is an important step forward and the people of my District have made clear this is a top priority,” Kaptur told Newsweek. “The portions of this bill pertaining to voter ID go too far in my view, and individuals from both parties have raised serious concerns about burdens placed on our military, seniors, in addition to urban and rural voters as they exercise their right to vote. I am hopeful that there is room for a consensus-based voter ID bill that ensures the protection of our ballot boxes, and gives each citizen ample time and opportunity to secure appropriate documentation. While this legislation doesn't deliver everything I'd hope for, a prohibition on members of Congress buying stocks moves the ball forward toward restoring the integrity of public service.”
Newsweek reached out to each representative via email for comment.
How the Vote Compares With Previous SAVE Act Votes
The July vote marked a significant increase in Democratic support compared with previous House votes on SAVE legislation.
In April 2025, when the House passed the original SAVE Act, four Democrats voted in favor: Ed Case of Hawaii, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
When Republicans returned with a more expansive version—the SAVE America Act—in February 2026, support among Democrats shrank to a single member. The House passed the legislation 218-213, with Cuellar the only Democrat to vote in favor.
This week's vote therefore represents the largest group of Democratic supporters for voter ID-related legislation since Republicans began advancing SAVE Act proposals through Congress.
...
What Is the SAVE America Act?
The SAVE America Act—short for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act—is a Republican-backed bill designed to overhaul federal voter registration and election procedures. The legislation would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and would establish national voter identification requirements.
Under the proposal, voters could be required to provide documents such as passports, birth certificates or certain government-issued identification records to prove citizenship. The bill also directs states to take additional steps to identify and remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
Last week, President Donald Trump issued an address on election security to again urge lawmakers to approve the measure, arguing it is necessary to protect the integrity of U.S. elections. “This crisis of election security demands that Congress must pass the SAVE America Act,” he said, adding, “How easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat.”
Republican lawmakers have been vastly supportive of voter ID. Republican Rep. Mike Haridopolos told Fox News in February: “What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?"
Similarly, Republican Steve Scalise said on social media this week: “Members of Congress show a photo ID to board a plane. Why shouldn’t voters be required to show one at the ballot box?”
The Bipartisan Policy Center has said the proposal's voter ID requirements would be “more restrictive” than any currently in use at the state level and could create significant administrative burdens for election officials. They noted that many eligible citizens do not have access to documentary proof of citizenship and that instances of a noncitizen voting are rare.
Critics of the bill say that voter ID will make it “unnecessarily difficult” for many to vote in elections. Democrat Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement earlier this year: “Republican extremists are determined to make it harder for people to vote so they can desperately cling to power,” calling the Voter ID Act “an unlawful power grab by a failing President designed to bolster the do-nothing Republican Congress.”
Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner issued a statement on social media this week where he said that a Voter ID Act would “gut mail balloting in elections and really throw election administration into chaos all across the country.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House and lawmakers across the political spectrum for comment.
Why Republicans Keep Attaching Voter ID to Other Bills
Although the House has repeatedly approved versions of the SAVE Act, the legislation has stalled in the Senate, where it faces significant Democratic opposition and procedural hurdles.
As a result, Republicans have increasingly looked for alternative legislative vehicles to move portions of the proposal forward.
The Voter ID Act attached to the Stop Insider Trading Act closely mirrors provisions included in the SAVE America Act and represented the latest attempt to advance part of the GOP's election agenda through another bill.
This action has also prompted upset from lawmakers. Magaziner told Newsweek: “House Republicans are pushing a voter suppression bill that will upend mail-in-voting and throw the elections into chaos, and are trying to trick people into supporting it by linking it to a partial stock trading ban that falls short of the full Congressional stock trading ban that the American people want.
“They should stop the political games and instead call a vote on my Restore Trust in Government Act which will fully ban stock trading in Congress and by the President once and for all.”
Update 7/23/26, 10:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Rep. Seth Magaziner.
Update 7/23/26 10:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 7/23/26, 04:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 7/24/26, 4:46 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines