Senate Adopts G.O.P. Budget, Defeating Democrats' Affordability Proposals
The Senate early Thursday morning adopted a Republican budget blueprint that would pave the way for a $70 billion increase for immigration enforcement and the eventual reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.
Republicans pushed through the plan on a nearly party-line vote of 50-48. It came after an overnight marathon of rapid-fire votes, known as a vote-a-rama, in which the G.O.P. beat back a series of Democratic proposals aimed at addressing the high cost of health care, housing, food and energy. The debate put the two parties’ dueling messages on vivid display six months before the midterm elections.
Republicans, who are using the budget plan to lay the groundwork to eventually push through a filibuster-proof bill providing a multiyear funding stream for President Trump’s immigration crackdown, used the all-night session to highlight their hard-line stance on border security, seeking to portray Democrats as unwilling to safeguard the country.
Democrats tried and failed to add a series of changes aimed at addressing cost-of-living issues, seizing the opportunity to hammer Republicans as out of touch with and unwilling to act on the concerns of everyday Americans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/senate-plunges-into-vote-marathon-as-gop-advances-ice-funding-boost.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
https://naacpldf.org/press-release/save-act-successfully-stalled-in-senate-as-a-result-of-tireless-advocacy-on-behalf-of-american-voters/
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a dangerous attempt to impose onerous and discriminatory obstacles for voters at the risk of disenfranchising millions, has currently failed to move forward in the U.S. Senate. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and partners will continue to monitor legislative activity should portions of the discriminatory bill be introduced in any altnerate form.
This bill threatened to disproportionately disenfranchise Black voters, other voters of color, married voters who have changed their name, young voters, voters with disabilities, senior citizens, and rural voters. Advocates and legislators worked tenaciously over the past months to educate the public around these dangers of the SAVE America Act. In response, LDF Director of Policy Demetria McCain released the following statement:
“The SAVE America Act would undermine free and fair access to the ballot by targeting the same voters that suffered discrimination under the hand of Jim Crow.” “We do not secure our elections by systematically blocking millions from the ballot, eliminating accessible forms of democratic participation, and targeting the elections officials who often put themselves at risk to ensure our elections proceed fairly.
We create equitable elections by ensuring that every eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box. The SAVE Act was never about election protection but rather propagating a racially-motivated myth of voter fraud where none exists. “We thank the Senators who stand firmly opposed to this legislation and keep it from advancing. And we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the civil rights communities who continue to fight to protect the foundational right to vote.”
snip
