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Arizona files landmark criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi

Published Mar 17, 2026, 4:11 PM ET / Source: CNN Politics

By [Marshall Cohen]

Updated 1 hr 42 min ago

Updated Mar 17, 2026, 5:44 PM ET

Kalshi, a U.S.-regulated prediction market platform that allows users to trade on the outcomes of real-world events, has surged in popularity, highlighting growing public interest in event-based financial markets and outcome forecasting.

Cheng Xin/Getty Images

Arizona’s attorney general has filed the first-ever criminal charges in the US against a major prediction market company, accusing Kalshi of running an illegal gambling operation in violation of state law.

The criminal case, filed Tuesday in Maricopa County Superior Court, is a serious escalation in the ongoing battle between states, prediction market sites and the federal government, over how the industry should be regulated.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said the criminal charges were warranted because, in her view, Kalshi offers gambling, not futures contracts, and therefore would need state approval to operate.

“Kalshi may brand itself as a ‘prediction market,’ but what it’s actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law,” Mayes, a Democrat, said in a statement. “No company gets to decide for itself which laws to follow.”

Prediction markets have exploded in recent months, and traders now spend about $5 billion each week on websites like Kalshi and Polymarket, according to Dune Analytics, which tracks trading volumes. Interest in the industry has spiked after controversies involving Iran war “death markets” and concerns about insider trading.

Prediction market sites let users wager on everything from elections to sports, business, entertainment, even the daily high temperature in various cities or the number of measles cases per year.

Kalshi, which faces 20 misdemeanor counts for accepting bets on various sporting events and elections in Arizona, denies wrongdoing. (CNN has a partnership with Kalshi and uses its data to cover major events, but editorial employees are prohibited from participating in prediction markets.)

A spokeswoman for Kalshi, Elisabeth Diana, said in a statement to CNN that the case is “paper-thin” and claimed prediction markets can only be regulated by the federal government, echoing the position of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

“States like Arizona want to individually regulate a nationwide financial exchange, and are trying every trick in the book to do it,” Diana said, adding that the markets on Kalshi are “different from what sportsbooks and casinos offer” and “should not be overseen by a patchwork of inconsistent state laws.”

Kalshi operates in the US with regulatory approval from the CFTC. The other major player in the industry, Polymarket, is also approved but its US site isn’t fully operational yet, so most of its markets are offshore and unregulated.

Polymarket is not facing any criminal charges.

The Arizona case specifically mentions Kalshi’s election-related markets, which have increased in popularity since the 2024 presidential contest.

For instance, more than $10 million has been wagered on Kalshi, and more than $12 million on Polymarket, over who will be the Republican nominee in Texas’ US Senate race. That race is heading to a runoff in May, between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Biden-era CFTC initiated a rulemaking process in 2024 to prohibit election-related prediction markets. However, a federal appeals court later allowed Kalshi to offer election markets and the Trump-appointed CFTC chair, Michael Selig, withdrew the agency’s proposed ban earlier this year.

Former CFTC general counsel Robert Schwartz posted on X Tuesday that the Arizona charges highlighted why regulations about prediction markets shouldn’t be decided by “disorderly state by state litigation.”

Schwartz, who worked at the CFTC from 2011 to 2025, also said the agency’s ability to regulate the industry could be hampered if the Arizona case succeeds.

CFTC chairman Michael Selig, a Trump appointee, blasted the Arizona case in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.

“This is a jurisdictional dispute and entirely inappropriate as a criminal prosecution,” Selig said. “The CFTC is watching this closely and evaluating its options.”

This article has been updated with additional developments.

Judge mocks White House East Wing ‘alteration’ as a ‘brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary’

By [Devan Cole], [Betsy Klein]
1 hr 50 min ago
PUBLISHED Mar 17, 2026, 5:44 PM ET

The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 21, 2025.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s arguments in defense of the massive White House ballroom project on Tuesday found virtually no purchase before a federal judge, who appears ready to rule that the president skirted the law by undertaking construction without congressional approval.

During a testy hearing before senior US District Judge Richard Leon, the George W. Bush appointee repeatedly threw cold water on a litany of arguments pushed by the Justice Department that President Donald Trump had authority under a series of federal laws to pursue the project absent express authorization from lawmakers.

Leon has made clear his doubt that Trump has the authority to move forward with the project under a federal law that gives a president the authority to “to undertake ‘alteration’ and ‘improvement’ of the White House, ‘as the President may determine.’”

He took issue on Tuesday with the idea that a sprawling $400 million ballroom renovation and the demolition of the East Wing marked a simple “alteration.”

Calling the project “an alteration,” Leon said, “takes some brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary.”

He also took aim at an argument that the White House falls under the National Park Service’s authority and that the Park Service has approved the project.

“This isn’t any national park,” Leon said. “This is an iconic symbol of this nation.”

The legal wrangling Tuesday at the federal courthouse in downtown Washington, DC, represented the latest dramatic episode in the case, unfolding several weeks after Leon rejected earlier arguments pushed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in a highly technical ruling that allowed them to come back to him with different legal claims.

How he rules now could prove extremely consequential: The group is asking the judge for an order that would block any more construction at the site of where the East Wing once stood pending congressional approval. Leon said he would plan to issue his decision by the end of March, while also noting that an appeal by the losing side was likely. The Trump administration has suggested that above-ground work on the ballroom could begin as soon as April.

“It would have been a heck of a lot easier by any standard to have just gone to Congress to get the authority to do it,” Leon said at one point as he scolded the government for pushing “shifting theories and shifting dynamics” in the case, which was brought last year by the nation’s top historic preservation group.

“They’re looking for an escape hatch, it seems,” the judge said, referring to the government’s argument that the group lacked the legal right – known as “standing” – to challenge Trump’s project at all. Leon appeared to be pointing to a bid by some litigants to get a case tossed out on procedural grounds when their underlying arguments are likely to fall flat.

Leon seemed even more troubled by the Justice Department’s assertion that the project was now being completely managed by the National Park Service, which would subject it to federal rulemaking laws and therefore make its conduct reviewable by federal courts.

In his ruling last month, the judge said he couldn’t grant the Trust’s request to block the project because, at the time, the administration claimed the project was being handled by a little-known office within the White House. That office, he decided, is not subject to that same rulemaking law. But the Park Service’s apparent role in overseeing the project, Leon intimated Tuesday, severely undercut their argument that the Trust could not go to court to block it.

“Who is directing this project?” Leon asked at one point, raising his voice. “You can’t have it both ways.”

Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department lawyer, said the White House Executive Residence was “directing 100%” of the project and that the Park Service’s role was specific to funding.

Trump, a former real estate developer, has been personally involved in ballroom details, from floor plans to marble selection. The ballroom project has an estimated size of approximately 89,000 square feet, according to lead architect Shalom Baranes. By contrast, the primary White House structure, the Executive Mansion, is just 55,000 square feet.

Trump has maintained that the project isn’t subject to any oversight and that he should be able to continue with it without any serious scrutiny. He has promised it will be complete in the summer of 2028, months before he leaves office.

伊朗证实最高国家安全委员会秘书拉里贾尼殉难 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月18日 06:27

伊朗最高国家安全委员会星期三（3月18日）凌晨证实了最高国家安全委员会秘书拉里贾尼的死讯。以色列方面前一天宣布拉里贾尼已被以军暗杀。

综合彭博社和法新社报道，由伊朗国家媒体刊发的伊朗最高国家安全委员会声明说，拉里贾尼（Ali Larijani）的儿子和保镖与他一同殉难。声明没有透露拉里贾尼死亡的具体情况。

另据伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社报道，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队发表声明，证实伊朗巴斯基（Basij）民兵指挥官苏莱曼尼（Gholamreza Soleimani）遭美以袭击身亡。

以色列国防部长卡茨17日说，以军在前一天晚上对德黑兰实施精准打击，打死了拉里贾尼，苏莱曼尼也在另一场空袭中丧命。以军称，伊朗巴斯基民兵是伊朗武装体系的重要组成部分，苏莱曼尼已担任这一民兵组织指挥官六年。

The White House is digging in against congressional Democrats, revealing several compromises the administration has been willing to make on immigration enforcement to end the government shutdown.

In a letter from a White House official obtained by Fox News Digital, the administration laid out five key concessions to congressional Democrats who have continued to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a bid to get stringent reforms to immigration operations.

It’s the first peek behind the closely guarded veil of the funding stalemate and comes after congressional Democrats broke the ice with yet another counteroffer to the White House late Monday night, which the administration balked at as the shutdown entered its 32nd day.

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FIRED DHS CHIEF KRISTI NOEM FACES CRIMINAL REFERRAL FROM CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS

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The White House unveiled a list of compromises made to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats as the DHS shutdown drags on into its 32nd day.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

“The Democrats have once again responded with a counteroffer that does not indicate the seriousness that this moment needs,” a senior White House official said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., countered that the White House wasn’t negotiating seriously, either.

“The issue is, they’re not getting serious,” Schumer said. “The key issues of warrants when you bust into someone’s house, the key issue of identity of police and no masks, they haven’t budged on those.”

The letter, sent to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., included compromises on several demands that have been a top priority for Schumer and Democrats but notably lacked requirements for agents to obtain judicial warrants and demands that agents go maskless.

“The use of administrative warrants is a long-standing practice for administrations, and ultimately that will be a subject of future conversations, but the administration is unwilling to return to the Biden status quo of open borders,” the official said.

DEM SENATORS CALL TO FUND DHS AFTER VOTING TO BLOCK IT 4 TIMES AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS would have consequences.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

[image_4]

Still, the letter did check off several asks for Democrats, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras for DHS agents, save for agents in undercover operations, coupled with plans to hold onto the footage to allow for more congressional oversight.

The Trump administration also offered to limit immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, including hospitals and schools, with exceptions to national security, flight risks and public safety. The administration also plans to adhere to congressional oversight of DHS detention facilities and vowed to enforce the use of visible identification for DHS agents.

Another compromise was to ensure that any U.S. citizens are not deported and plans to codify not “knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen, except when the person violates a state or federal law that makes the citizen subject to arrest.”

Democrats’ counter did little to move the needle for Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., characterized the White House’s compromises as going “above and beyond” and noted the administration had made offers to raise spending on body-worn cameras to $100 million and “include audits by the Inspector General, you know, and reviews for non-compliance.”

KATIE BRITT BLASTS DEMOCRAT FOR PLAYING ‘POLITICAL GAMES’ WITH SHUTDOWN AMID AIRPORT CHAOS

“I mean, there’s a whole bunch of stuff in there that they’re just things that, in my view, have been significant gives on the part of the White House, but the Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,” Thune said.

[image_5]

And Britt, who Thune tapped to lead negotiations on behalf of the GOP, said she was still trying to get Democrats in a room to negotiate.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Britt told Fox News Digital she believed “there are many of my [Democratic colleagues” that wanted to find a way out of the shutdown, too, and noted that during the 43-day shutdown there had been talks happening the whole time.

“I mean, it’s past time for us to do that, and so I’m going to keep pushing it,” she said. “But do you realize that, how many days into this — and we have yet to sit down and talk about it — I mean it’s actual insanity.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Lawmakers unflinching in DHS shutdown fight that could drag on for weeks as airport lines and travel anxieties grow

By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox, Adam Cancryn | 2 hr ago | PUBLISHED Mar 17, 2026, 5:06 PM ET

Travelers wait in long lines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 2026.

Megan Varner/Getty Images

Both parties on Capitol Hill remain unmoved in their fight over President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, threatening to drag out the Department of Homeland Security shutdown for days – if not weeks – more.

Even as a top official warned Tuesday the US could soon be forced to shutter some airports, top party leaders are responding to the mounting political crisis by blaming their opponents.

“I think Republicans need to pay TSA workers,” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker told CNN when asked if Democrats planned to stand firm on their demands as airline delays worsen. “This chaos is Donald Trump and congressional Republicans who are doing nothing to pay these very loyal government workers.”

Booker is among dozens of Senate Democrats who are refusing to support any funding bill for DHS that doesn’t include a significant overhaul to Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. They see the funding fight as their only chance to force the White House to make changes in law to the agency’s contentious – and at times, fatal – operations, which have led to nationwide outrage this year.

“ICE being able to wear masks, to be able to pull people out of their cars and throw them to the ground, to be able to gas little babies and to be able to shoot people in broad daylight with no accountability. That is not helping reduce lines at the airport,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told CNN on Tuesday.

These Democrats have repeatedly tried to force Republicans to fund DHS’ other key functions, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But Republicans are equally firm that Democrats are the ones blocking the funding and insist they will not fund slices of the department.

That fierce disagreement over federal immigration enforcement has left DHS without funding at a critical time, with a heightened threat environment stemming from the US war with Iran and severe weather and spring break travel threatening to compound at already understaffed airports. And both sides warn the stalemate could continue through Congress’ two-week recess for Easter and Passover, dragging the shutdown on for many more weeks.

The impasse is also colliding with the confirmation process for Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is set to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee for a grilling on Wednesday.

Inside the Capitol and White House, Republicans believe that Democrats – not Trump – will feel the political pain from the shutdown as they seek to block funding for border security, according to multiple people familiar with internal discussions. They argue that vulnerable Democratic incumbents – like Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, whose hometown airport of Atlanta has seen hours-long waits – will feel the blowback come November.

Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Democrats are holding DHS “hostage in order to protect criminal illegal aliens” as he warned that airports are “reaching a breaking point” with 50,000 TSA agents now going without pay for another week. His Senate counterpart, Majority Leader John Thune, argued that Democrats chose not to accept a major ICE proposal from the White House roughly three weeks ago, which he said amounted to “significant gives” designed to unlock talks to fund the department.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to the press after a weekly policy luncheon at the US Capitol on March 17, 2026.

Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

Democrats returned a counteroffer to the White House last night, nearly 20 days after the White House’s last offer, two sources familiar with negotiations told CNN, though one added that it did not move the debate in any way.

Thune described Democrats’ latest offer as largely the same as previous ones, while he said the White House offer included as much as $100 million in body cams and a proposal for inspector general audits, as well as “reviews for noncompliance.”

“Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,” Thune said.

Detailing several elements of its offer in a letter to top Senate Republican appropriators, White House officials wrote that along with new body camera provisions, their proposed funding deal would include limiting the government’s ability to conduct enforcement operations at “sensitive” locations like hospitals and schools and boost oversight of federal detention facilities.

It would also require that most immigration agents clearly identify themselves during enforcement actions and codify what the officials called the “current practice of not knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen.”

The offer did not address agents’ use of masks. In a subsequent call with reporters, a senior White House official also suggested the White House would oppose changes to its reliance on administrative warrants, calling it a “longstanding practice.”

Democrats have so far rejected the administration’s funding offers as inadequate, arguing that there need to be broader departmental reforms.

“The parties are moving far apart,” the senior official said, adding that talks are not advanced enough yet for President Donald Trump to negotiate directly with top Democratic lawmakers.

Democrats have fiercely disputed Thune’s characterization of the White House’s willingness to compromise. Sen. Patty Murray, the Senate Democratic spending leader, told reporters that her latest proposal was “not the same” but declined to share specifics.

Asked by CNN if Democrats are getting nervous about the effects of the shutdown, such as airline delays, Murray was firm: “Who should be nervous right now is Republicans, who are holding up the pay. We have offered numerous opportunities for them to do that.”

Unlike in previous funding fights, the Democratic Party is showing no major cracks in their position.

So far, only Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania – who is famously opposed to shutdowns – has veered from the party line. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his team feel confident that nearly the entire party is behind him after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted outrage in Minneapolis, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol on March 17, 2026.

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who notably voted with Republicans to end the last government shutdown, told CNN on Tuesday that it’s the GOP that needs to back down.

“I think negotiations are ongoing but the reality is if Republicans wanted to solve this they would fund everything but ICE,” Shaheen said, referring to the multiple Democratic attempts to fund TSA and other non-immigration pieces of DHS. The immigration agency, she pointed out, was already funded for the next several years through the GOP’s major border and tax bill last year.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said he sees only two ways out of the stalemate.

“One is that the White House gets serious about meaningfully reining in ICE. I just don’t see that happening,” he said. The other? “Republicans agree to fund TSA, fund the Coast Guard and fund FEMA and we could do it today,” he said.

In the House, Democrats are planning to mount their own pressure campaign against House GOP leaders later this week — attempting to force a vote on a bill that would fund DHS aside from immigration enforcement. That bill would only need a handful of Republican signatures to succeed in forcing a vote — but GOP leaders feel confident it will not be a problem, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Republicans point out that Democrats’ push would not only ICE leave unfunded, but also Customs and Border Protection, which they argue is much harder to defend.

“This is not a serious proposal,” GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx, who leads the House Rules Committee, said on the floor Tuesday, scoffing at Democrats’ suggestion that Republicans are the ones blocking funding for the department. “We need to fund all of DHS to keep our border closed … and it’s obvious that’s not what the Democrats want.”

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Aileen Graef contributed to this report.

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DHS keeps paying Coast Guard personnel despite partial government shutdown

March 17, 2026 / 5:48 PM EDT / CBS News

The Department of Homeland Security is using discretionary funding to continue paying active-duty U.S. Coast Guard personnel during the department’s ongoing shutdown, even as civilian employees remain unpaid, according to several U.S. officials and a department spokesperson.

“Military members received their latest paycheck last week. USCG civilian workforce is not receiving paychecks,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.

Pay for DHS’s more than 250,000 employees has been up in the air since its funding lapsed in mid-February due to a breakdown in negotiations in Congress over immigration enforcement. Roughly 76,600 people work for the Coast Guard, including roughly 41,200 active-duty service members, 6,400 reservists and 19,700 auxiliarists, alongside about 9,300 civilian employees.

For military families, the uncertainty around pay has created financial strain. Christine O’Shields, a Coast Guard spouse whose husband has served nearly 21 years, said recent paychecks arrived without warning after families initially expected to go unpaid. She described the arrival of last week’s paycheck as a “surprise.”

“It is this roller coaster of, are we going to get paid, and are we not going to get paid?” she said. “We don’t know, literally, till it hits our account if it’s going to come or not.”

O’Shields said the unpredictability has forced families to delay major financial decisions and everyday expenses, including travel, childcare and even meals out with their children. As her family prepares for a potential move, she questioned how they could plan for a home purchase without reliable income documentation.

“How do we even know how much of a house we can buy if we can’t even provide pay statements?” she said.

As of this week, a U.S. official told CBS News roughly 300 U.S. Coast Guard personnel are stationed in the Middle East, primarily in Bahrain and Oman, amid the ongoing war with Iran.

The shutdown is also affecting other DHS components, including Transportation Security Administration officers and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency employees, many of whom are working without pay or are furloughed. Large numbers of TSA agents have called out of work due to missing paychecks, leading to long lines at some airport security checkpoints.

TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl told CBS News the agency’s ability to assist its staff through the shutdown is “very much constrained” by congressional appropriations, but “I can tell you emphatically that we’re doing absolutely everything we can.”

In contrast, immigration personnel at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are largely continuing operations with minimal disruption. Those agencies are flush with cash due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which congressional Republicans passed last summer, allotting more than $150 billion to both agencies.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who is departing her job at the end of this month, told lawmakers in early March that ICE and Secret Service agents are still getting paid.

The Trump administration has used discretionary funding to keep paying some federal employees in the past. During a 43-day-long government shutdown last fall, members of the military, FBI agents and DHS law enforcement personnel continued to get paychecks.

O’Shields criticized lawmakers for allowing repeated shutdowns to disrupt military families’ financial stability.

“Stop using us as pawns in your game and finish the game,” she said, urging Americans to contact their members of Congress to register their concerns.

Kathy Roth Douquet, the CEO and founder of military family-focused nonprofit Blue Star Families, said in a statement: “Government shutdowns ripple far beyond policy debates in Washington, they hit home for our military families. The uncertainty surrounding how long that will last is taking a toll. Military readiness begins at home, and when families are anxious or financially stretched, it impacts our national security.”

Congress has yet to pass new funding to reopen DHS, as Democrats push for reforms to DHS’s immigration-focused agencies in exchange for their votes to fund the department. Lawmakers have held multiple votes in recent weeks, including on a Senate funding proposal that failed to advance and competing Democratic-backed measures in the House that have also been blocked, leaving the department without a full-year appropriation.

Meanwhile, GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, President Trump’s nominee to lead DHS, is scheduled to appear Wednesday for a public confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as the department he would oversee remains shut down with no clear timeline for reopening.

Negotiations are expected to continue this week, but congressional leaders have not announced a path forward to resolve the standoff.

The U.S. Coast Guard referred CBS News to DHS for comment.

Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.

以军誓言将“追杀”伊朗新最高领袖

发布时间 / 来源

以色列军方在宣布伊朗最高国家安全委员会秘书拉里贾尼被以军暗杀后，誓言将“追杀”伊朗新任最高领袖穆杰塔巴。

法新社报道，以色列国防军发言人德夫林星期二（3月17日）在接受以色列媒体采访时称，以军正在打击伊朗的“所有领导人”，会追击穆杰塔巴并“消灭”他。穆杰塔巴在父亲哈梅内伊遭美以空袭暗杀后接任伊朗最高领袖。

德夫林说：“我们对穆杰塔巴一无所知，我们没听到他的消息，也看不到他的身影，但我可以向你们保证，我们会追查到他，找到他，并铲除他。”

伊朗最高国家安全委员会18日凌晨证实最高国家安全委员会秘书拉里贾尼的死讯。以方17日宣布拉里贾尼已被以军暗杀。

穆杰塔巴是哈梅内伊的次子，曾协助哈梅内伊处理国家重要事务，今年3月8日被选举为伊朗第三任最高领袖。

Senate kicks off marathon debate over Trump’s voter ID bill

Published Mar 17, 2026, 4:04 PM ET / Updated Mar 17, 2026, 5:17 PM ET / CNN Politics

By Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett

The US Capitol on March 17, 2026.

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

The Senate has kicked off extended debate on the “SAVE America Act” — one of President Donald Trump’s top legislative priorities.

Lawmakers voted to begin consideration of the bill that would require voters to show ID and proof of US citizenship in federal elections. While the legislation is not expected to pass, the debate could yield fierce rhetorical sparring on the floor, with each side believing they are on the right side of history on the issue.

Politically, lawmakers from each party want to demonstrate to their bases that they are going to the mat on the legislation.

Attendees listen to Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaking at a “Only Citizens Vote” bus tour rally on passing the SAVE Act at Upper Senate Park outside the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, would mandate proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections, a move supporters argue is needed to secure voter rolls while opponents say it risks blocking eligible Americans from casting ballots. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images What’s in the ‘SAVE America Act’ and why is it so important to Donald Trump? 7 min read

Democrats have been preparing to speak at length – and possibly for days – in opposition to the bill. Republicans, meanwhile, are expected to try to add amendments to the legislation that would address asks from Trump, namely provisions that would end the widespread practice of no-excuse mail voting and target transgender policies.

As debate plays out in the Senate in the coming days, Democrats will seek to expose divisions within the Republican conference on the topics, which have at times proven effective culture war fights for the GOP yet are unrelated to the running of elections.

The bill is not expected to pass, as it does not have the 60 votes needed to eventually end debate, and Senate Republicans do not have the votes to change filibuster rules or maintain a lengthy so-called “talking filibuster” that would drag on indefinitely – and risk allowing Senate Democrats to stonewall business in the chamber.

The Senate voted to open debate 51 to 48. In a sign that the votes aren’t there to overcome the 60-vote threshold, despite the president’s insistence on the legislation passing, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in attempting to block debate on the package.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune talks to reporters after arriving at the US Capitol on March 17, 2026.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Instead, Republican leadership has opted to allow senators to hold the floor and debate the package until they exhaust themselves — which could even extend through the weekend — and Senate Majority Leader John Thune moves to end debate.

Most Republicans argue the bill will make elections more secure. Across the aisle, Democrats argue that presenting this kind of paperwork will deter people from voting, and serve as another barrier to the ballot box.

“I’m looking forward to a vigorous, long and spirited conversation on the floor of the United States Senate about these important issues,” Thune said on Tuesday.

“I think it’s an important debate to have because it is an issue that is at the very core of elections in this country, and I think this is something that the American people care about, something that we’ve obviously heard a lot about from constituents across this country.”

Trump has pressured Thune in recent weeks to force the package through the Senate. But the Republican Senate leader has maintained that the package does not have enough support, despite the president’s threats that he won’t sign any legislation until Congress has passed the “SAVE America Act.”

In a sign of tensions within the party, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna lambasted Thune for holding a “show vote” on the bill.

“1,000%,” she said when asked by CNN if she was disappointed in Thune’s handling of the bill.

“They’re over there doing a show vote. They know it’s going to fail,” she added.

The House passed a version of the bill in February, though it was short of some of Trump’s priorities.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the bill ahead of the vote to start debate.

“The SAVE Act is not about protecting the vote. It’s about making it harder to vote and easier to steal an election,” said Schumer, calling it “a voter suppression bill.”

“Our objection as Democrats is not to a photo ID … our objection is it’s a voter suppression bill,” he argued.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Manu Raju and Aileen Graef contributed to this report.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted mail-in voting as “corrupt as hell” as the SAVE America Act heads to the Senate floor for debate.

Trump made the remarks during the Shamrock Bowl presentation with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, telling the crowd “the biggest thing coming up is the SAVE America Act in the Senate.”

He said the legislation focuses on voter identification and proof of citizenship, while also taking aim at “corrupt” mail-in ballots.

“We’re the only country in the world that does it that way. Corrupt as hell,” Trump said. “Then we added two more…One is no men in women’s sports. That seems like an easy one. I believe that’s the 99%. And no transgender mutilation of our children. None. That’s only polling at 98%.”

“Hopefully the Senate is going to be able to get that. You can’t ask for five better things,” he continued. “It’s so good for our nation. I mean, who would not have voter ID, who would not have, proof of citizenship? And, the only people who would want not to have that or people that want to cheat. It’s very, very simple. We can’t let that happen.”

The SAVE America Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and mandate voter identification at the polls, measures Republicans argue are necessary to secure elections.

The president’s remarks followed Senate Republicans moving to bring the SAVE America Act to the Senate floor, aiming to force Democrats to take a public position on the Trump-backed measure.

Lawmakers voted 51-48 to begin debate on the bill, an initial step forward with Democrats remaining unified in opposition.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the only Republican to vote against advancing the measure, while all Democrats voted no. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., did not vote.

The procedural move opens the door for debate on the legislation, with GOP leaders expected to allow amendments and extended discussion in the days ahead.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to eventually file to end the debate, which would set up a final vote requiring 60 votes to move forward.

Republicans would need support from Democrats to reach that threshold, making the bill’s path forward uncertain.

Democrats have opposed the legislation, arguing existing laws already prohibit noncitizens from voting and warning the requirements could create barriers for eligible voters.

Mail-in voting expanded significantly during the 2020 election and remains widely used in several states, including some led by Republicans.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.