Lawmakers Fire Back as Congress Pushes Back Strongly After Donald Trump Declares Voter ID Will Be Required in Midterms ‘Whether Approved By Congress or Not,’ Setting Up a Clash Over Legislative Authority

Congress Pushes Back After Trump Says Voter ID Will Be Required ‘Whether Approved By Congress Or Not’

Washington, D.C. — Tensions are rising on Capitol Hill after former President Donald Trump declared that voter identification requirements will be enforced in the upcoming midterm elections “whether approved by Congress or not,” drawing sharp rebukes from lawmakers across the political spectrum.

Trump’s comments came amid ongoing legislative efforts to strengthen voter ID laws, including the SAVE Act, which was passed by the House earlier this week and is now moving through the Senate. The bill aims to standardize voter identification requirements nationwide, a measure Trump and many of his supporters say is necessary to prevent election fraud.

However, lawmakers quickly pushed back against Trump’s suggestion that he could implement such rules unilaterally. Members of both parties emphasized that voter ID laws require Congressional approval and cannot be enforced by executive order alone.

“Voter ID is a matter for Congress, not a presidential decree,” said House Majority Leader. “The rule of law and separation of powers are not optional.” Senate lawmakers echoed the sentiment, warning that bypassing Congress would be unconstitutional and could trigger legal challenges.

Legal experts also weighed in, noting that while states have wide discretion in managing elections, federal voter ID requirements must pass through the legislative process. “The president cannot simply impose new election rules on his own,” said one constitutional scholar. “Congress has the authority here, and the courts would almost certainly block any attempt to sidestep it.”

Trump’s statement comes as political pressure mounts ahead of the 2026 midterms, with Republican strategists emphasizing voter ID as a key part of their election platform. Democrats, meanwhile, argue that restrictive voter ID laws disproportionately affect minority and young voters and have vowed to fight any effort to implement them without proper legislative review.

As the SAVE Act moves through Congress, the debate over voter ID is expected to intensify, with lawmakers, the courts, and advocacy groups all playing key roles in determining how, and if, such rules will be enforced. For now, Trump’s comments have sparked a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on Capitol Hill: unilateral action on voter ID is not legally permissible.