Senate Republicans Pass Reconciliation Bill After Marathon Amendment Voting Session, Including Failed Vote on “SAVE Act”
Jun 08, 2026
By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy and Tia Turner, NLIHC Project Manager, Our Homes, Our Votes
Senate Republicans passed by a vote of 52-47 a second reconciliation package in the early morning hours of June 5 after spending hours debating proposed amendments to the bill in a marathon process known as “vote-a-rama.” The bill, (S.2; dubbed “Reconciliation 2.0”) would provide over $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) introduced the “SAVE America (SAVE) Act,” one of the most restrictive federal voting measures in recent history, as an amendment to S.2. The “SAVE Act,” which passed the House in April, would require documentary proof of citizenship to register or update voter registration, creating substantial barriers for millions of eligible voters, particularly low-income renters, seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of color.
The “SAVE Act” amendment failed to pass, with a final vote of 48-50. Four Republicans – Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—joined all Senate Democrats to vote against the proposal.
Advocates and civil rights organizations widely opposed the “SAVE Act,” warning that it would impose unnecessary and burdensome documentation requirements that many eligible voters may not readily have access to while also undermining voter registration efforts critical for reaching historically marginalized communities. The Senate’s failure to advance the bill marks another important moment in the ongoing fight to protect access to the ballot, though similar efforts are expected to continue at both the federal and state levels.
Learn more about the “SAVE Act” here, and about NLIHC’s nonpartisan voter and candidate engagement campaign, Our Homes, Our Votes, here.
The Senate-passed reconciliation bill will likely be taken up by the House in the coming week.