H.R. 9897: Trump-Reagan Election Enforcement Act

This bill would change federal highway funding rules to pressure states into adopting specific voter registration and voter-roll policies for federal elections.

What states would have to do

To avoid penalties, a state would need to have laws in place requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship before someone can be accepted or processed to register to vote in a federal election. The bill lists acceptable documents, including:

• a REAL ID-compliant ID showing U.S. citizenship,
• a valid U.S. passport,
• certain military identification plus service records showing U.S. birthplace,
• certain government-issued photo IDs showing U.S. birthplace, or
• other combinations of government ID plus documents such as a certified birth certificate, hospital birth record, adoption decree, consular birth report, naturalization certificate, or certain tribal documentation.

The bill also says states must:

• create an alternate way for an applicant to prove citizenship if they cannot meet the standard document requirements,
• take ongoing steps to ensure only U.S. citizens are registered, including a program to identify noncitizens,
• require people who register by mail to present proof of citizenship in person by the registration deadline,
• remove noncitizens from voter lists,
• allow private lawsuits against election officials who register someone without the required proof, and
• create criminal penalties for registering someone to vote in a federal election without the required proof.

What happens if a state does not comply

Beginning after fiscal year 2026, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation would withhold 10 percent of certain federal surface transportation funds from any state that does not have these laws. The penalty would increase by an additional 5 percent each year afterward if the state still does not comply.

The money affected is funding that is apportioned to states under title 23 of the U.S. Code, which generally covers federal highway and surface transportation programs.

Practical effect

In simple terms, the bill would tie part of a state’s federal transportation money to whether that state requires proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and adopts related enforcement measures. States that do not change their election laws to match the bill’s requirements would lose a growing share of those federal funds over time.

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