A Republican lawmaker has claimed that having an ID is required to have a child.
Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, an ally of President Donald Trump, made the claim Tuesday on Fox News while promoting the SAVE America Act. The Republican-led legislation would require voters to show photo ID at the polls and prove their citizenship when registering.
“There’s a number of ways, five or six ways, to demonstrate citizenship. And there’s a number of things that qualify as sufficient voter ID,” McCormick told Fox News.
“You have to have an ID to get a six pack, you have to have it to give blood, you have to have it to have a child, and you have to have it to get married. This is a commonsense thing,” he added. “So, the legislation has been amended to make sure that we reduce any possibility that this will be difficult for any single group.”
The clip has gained traction on social media, where several users mocked McCormick’s claim.
“Oh man, apparently I broke the law by not showing my wife my ID before conceiving the kiddo,” Democratic strategist Mike Nellis wrote on X.
When reached for comment, McCormick told The Independent: “I meant what I said.”
“Of course you don’t need an ID to biologically give birth, but the legal responsibilities that come with having a child do require an ID,” he added. “Twisting that into something else is silly.”
The SAVE America Act — which passed the House last month — is unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate, given the Democratic opposition to the legislation.
Many Republicans have called the bill a “common sense” measure and slammed Democrats for opposing it. Meanwhile, Trump has said the legislation “supersedes everything else” and could “guarantee the midterms” for the party.
“It’s common sense. You need to present a photo ID to buy a beer, to board a plane, and to do so many other things that are part of American life,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said Tuesday. “Why not to vote?”
Democrats have argued the legislation could disenfranchise millions, citing concerns about Americans who can’t easily access documents like passports or birth certificates to prove their citizenship.
They’ve also pushed back on Republicans’ claims about voter fraud and noncitizen voting, which is already illegal.
“Republicans continue to raise baseless fears about election fraud and noncitizen voting, despite the fact that our elections are regularly audited and have also been tested repeatedly in courts, especially after 2020,” Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said Wednesday in a joint statement.
“Yet, no evidence of widespread voter fraud has ever been found. This bill is yet another extension of President Trump’s fixation on the 2020 election, and part of a broader effort to undermine confidence in our democracy ahead of 2026 and 2028,” they added.
The president has said he won’t sign other bills until the SAVE America Act passes. He also warned Tuesday that he will “never” endorse anyone who opposes it.
“Get your Senators, REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT, to VOTE ‘YES’ ON ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I WILL NEVER (EVER!) ENDORSE ANYONE WHO VOTES AGAINST “SAVE AMERICA!!!”
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