From PBS NewsHour.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday during his State of the Union address that Congress should unite and pass the SAVE America Act to stop noncitizens from voting in elections.

Noncitizen voting in statewide elections is exceedingly rare and is already a crime that can lead to fines, imprisonment and deportation.

“The cheating is rampant in our elections,” the president falsely claimed.

The SAVE America Act would impose strict voter ID restrictions and require proof of U.S. citizenship at registration. Voting rights groups and experts say the bill, if passed, will disenfranchise millions of voters, including those who do not have easy access to documents, such as a birth certificate or passport, needed for registration. The bill passed the House, but its path remains unclear in the Senate.

Trump’s address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.

Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.

At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump’s positive messages during his primetime speech.

On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump’s agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.

According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.

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