Lisa Murkowski

Four Republican senators opposed adding voting requirements, found in various versions of SAVE legislation, to their budget plan early Thursday morning.

Sens. Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski voted against the amendment, proposed by their Republican colleague John Kennedy, to establish voter ID requirements.

The measure, one of many considered in the Senate’s overnight budgetary session, failed on a 48-50 vote, far short of the 60 yeas needed to pass. Aside from the four Republican nays, the vote was along party lines. Sens. Mark Warner and Chuck Grassley, both of whom are dealing with personal issues, didn’t vote.

The Senate later passed its budget plan, which would fund immigration agencies that Democrats have refused to back without reforms. Republicans, who hold 53 seats, are skirting filibuster rules that require 60 votes to pass most legislation.

House Republicans will now consider the blueprint. If they approve it, Congress can begin drafting a bill for its plan. Members will likely continue suggesting amendments that could complicate the legislation’s passage, however, threatening their ability to meet President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline to fund ICE and Border Patrol.

Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned last week against pursuing funding through the filibuster-avoiding process of reconciliation. She said during a Washington forum that appropriating by the process would result in the elimination of past amendments and further erode congressional authority.

"It’s a dangerous path to go down that road because you lose the legacy riders that are in the bill. There’s a massive transfer of authority and power from the legislative to the executive branch because you don’t have all of the language in there,” the senator explained.

Trump called on Republicans earlier this month to bypass Democrats, who he claimed want to defund ICE and Border Patrol and allow dangerous foreigners into the U.S.

“That’s why we are going forward to fund our incredible ICE Agents and Border Patrol through a process that doesn’t need Radical Left Democrat votes, and bypasses the Senate Filibuster (which should be repealed, IMMEDIATELY!), working in close conjunction with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Leader John Thune,” the president said in a social media post. “We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won’t be able to stop us.”

Democrats have been open to funding the agencies but are demanding changes to their law enforcement operations.