President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order mandating that individuals submit government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and that all ballots for federal elections be reviewed by Election Day.
The order stipulates that voter registration forms include official proof of citizenship, instructs the attorney general to establish information-sharing agreements with state election officials to identify cases of election fraud or other violations, and ties federal election-related funding to state compliance with federal election integrity standards.
“There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks,” Trump said just ahead of signing the order. “We think we’ll be able to end up getting fair elections.”
“It’s an honor to sign this one. I sign all of them, but to sign this one is a great honor,” Trump added in what could be construed as a snipe at his predecesor, Joe Biden, whose signature on many documents was determined to have been with an autopen.
The U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protections,” the order says.
Left-wing critics immediately bashed the move with well-worn Democratic talking points, including that it would “disenfranchise” voters.
“This executive order would block tens of millions of American citizens from voting,” the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University wrote on X. “Presidents have no authority to do this. This order, like the SAVE Act now before Congress, would hurt voters and suppress the vote.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a Republican-backed bill that would overhaul voter registration procedures, including requiring individuals to present documentation verifying their U.S. citizenship. Most Democrats oppose the election integrity measure.
Proof of citizenship documentation includes a U.S. passport, a REAL ID, or military and state or federally issued identification that confirms American citizenship.
“Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic,” the order states. ” Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.”
Under the order’s provisions, Trump instructed the Election Assistance Commission to revise the federal voter registration form to include a requirement for government-issued proof of citizenship. The order also seeks to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is getting ready to start the “External Revenue Service,” a new agency that will collect
tariffs in the hopes that this will lead to the replacement of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said during a Monday Cabinet meeting that he was “excited” about April 2, which Trump has called “liberation day” for the United States. Lutnick said that the administration would be starting up the External Revenue Service, but it wasn’t clear if he meant that the agency would begin operating on that date.
The administration has said that creating the new agency will help Trump’s trade agenda and speed up the collection of tariffs. Officials say that the extra money will bring about lower taxes for Americans and speed up the process of getting rid of the IRS, which is currently the government’s main revenue-generating agency, Newsweek reported.
The IRS was created by Congress, however, and will very likely need to be eliminated by the Legislative Branch. Lawmakers could also simply defund the IRS.
Trump said at his inauguration that the External Revenue Service would be in charge of collecting “all tariffs, duties, and revenues.” He said that the U.S. would “begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share.”
