New Report Raises Questions About Industry Influence on SAVE America Act Fight

As the U.S. Senate struggles to pass the SAVE America Act, a new report documents millions of dollars in campaign contributions flowing to Republican senators from industries opposed to stricter immigration enforcement policies.

The American Accountability Foundation, in partnership with the Mass Deportation Coalition, examined donations from construction, hospitality, agriculture, and senior-housing organizations, which they allege are at least partly to blame for the SAVE America Act’s stalled progress.

“Across the 11 senators we examined, the four industries that run on cheap labor … have funneled $8,312,574 into their campaigns, leadership PACs, supporting independent expenditures, and employee donations,” AAF founder Thomas Jones said. “This is the money that explains why ‘support’ for the SAVE Act never escalates into a fight.”

The SAVE America Act is President Donald Trump’s signature election integrity initiative. The legislation would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, photo ID when casting a ballot, and removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.

Fears of Amnesty

Jones claimed the “cheap, foreign, and illegal labor lobby” operates with a goal of keeping illegal aliens in the United States, pointing to support for the DIGNITY Act, which would protect potentially millions of illegal aliens from deportation and provide them with work authorization. The bill was introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, in 2025. There is no current Senate companion bill.

“This money traces straight back to the organizations bankrolling the DIGNITY Act amnesty. The National Association of Home Builders, the National Restaurant Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the American Seniors Housing Association are the top donors again and again,” Jones said. “They are the financial engine behind the DIGNITY Act amnesty, and an enforcement regime anchored by mandatory E-Verify would be a death knell for their business model. So, they pay to keep enforcement theoretical and amnesty alive.”

The National Association of Home Builders and the National Restaurant Association, two of the groups that contributed to the Republican senators, endorsed the DIGNITY Act in June. Neither group responded to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.

Jones fears that if the legislation advances to the Senate, organizations lobbying for the DIGNITY Act would ramp up pressure on Republicans, using their financial contributions as leverage.

“These are not one-time contributions,” Jones said. “They are decades-long relationships, and they buy exactly one thing: silence.”

By the Numbers

AAF and the Mass Deportation Coalition examined Federal Election Commission records from the OpenFEC database. Those include campaign and leadership PAC contributions, Schedule E independent expenditures, and itemized employee donations, according to Jones.

The GOP senators named in the report include Majority Leader John Thune, Majority Whip John Barrasso, Katie Britt, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, James Lankford, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and Dan Sullivan.

The report takes aim at the GOP’s top two leaders. Thune, whom Jones described as “the one man with the most power to force a SAVE Act floor fight,” has received a total of $1,580,276 from four industries examined in the report. Barrasso, the second-ranking Republican, received a total of $619,968.

Cornyn, who recently lost his primary election in Texas to Attorney General Ken Paxton, has taken $1,362,445, while McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, has raked in a total of $1,225,050, according to the report.

Cassidy, who lost his GOP primary to Rep. Julia Letlow, received $627,592 from these organizations, while Collins and Tillis have amassed $821,734 and $673,773, respectively. The other senators received under $500,000.

Jones argued that these senators “won’t lift a finger to pass the SAVE Act.”

“The Home Builders alone have steered $107,500 to Thune across 26 separate checks. The Seniors Housing Association has a 21-year, $137,500 relationship with Susan Collins. The National Restaurant Association—which formally endorsed the DIGNITY Act this June—has cut checks to Thune, Cornyn, McConnell, Tillis, and a half-dozen others stretching back two decades,” Jones said.

Republicans Respond

The Daily Signal contacted each senator named in the report. Several did not respond, although others pushed back on the groups’ assertions, noting that they support the SAVE America Act and are actively working to secure its passage.

In a statement, Britt’s office reaffirmed the senator’s commitment to mass deportation and election integrity efforts.

“She is one of President Trump’s strongest allies on protecting American communities, putting American workers first, and safeguarding American elections. She opposes the Dignity Act—full stop, and that’s part of the reason she has a top 5 ranking in the Senate by both the Immigration Accountability Project and NumbersUSA,” according to the statement.

Britt introduced the Laken Riley Act in 2025, which passed the Senate and was signed into law by Trump. Named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien released from jail after being detained for shoplifting, the law requires law enforcement to hold illegal aliens charged with a crime in custody.

In May, Britt introduced legislation requiring employers to verify their employees’ immigration status using E-Verify.

“She has been one of the strongest anti-amnesty and anti-mass migration voices in Congress and just led the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026 to eliminate the largest magnet of illegal immigration and penalize employers who employ illegal aliens,” the statement continued, noting that while some legislators might see issues pertinent to the America First agenda as a “messaging opportunity,” the senator actually worked to turn it “into federal law.”

Lankford, meanwhile, introduced the Citizenship Documented License (CDL) Act in April to strengthen federally recognized identification, reinforce confidence in elections, and establish clear national standards for commercial driver’s licenses.

In a separate statement, another GOP aide told the Daily Signal: “Not only have Senate Republicans been fighting for the America First agenda, they’ve been delivering on it. From passing the historic Working Families Tax Cuts to confirming the president’s team at record speed to unwinding burdensome Biden-era red tape, Republicans have worked tirelessly to advance our shared agenda. Where there’s unfinished business, Senate Republicans will continue our fight to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

Another GOP Senate aide noted that none of the senators have publicly supported the DIGNITY Act or voted against the SAVE America Act.

Why it Matters

Jones said he decided to investigate the donations because he believes cash is king in Washington, D.C.

“The men and women who framed the houses, staffed the restaurants, and built the assisted-living homes on cheap labor have spent 20 years making sure these senators never have to choose between their donors and the American voters demanding citizenship-only voting,” Jones said.

Jones, outraged at the Senate’s inability to pass the SAVE America Act, added that this is only the beginning of his efforts to hold the lawmakers accountable.

“We’ll keep following the money until somebody in leadership finds the spine to put the SAVE Act on the floor and keep it there,” he said.

Polls show that across voter demographics, states, and party lines, support for the SAVE America Act has over 70% favorability.