Trump’s Push for the SAVE America Act
In his recent State of the Union address, President Trump urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota to use a filibuster against the SAVE America Act. However, Thune hasn’t shown any intention to take that route just yet.
During his address, Trump highlighted the importance of passing a Voter ID bill, officially known as the Protecting American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) through the Senate.
Although the bill has made it past the House, it struggles to garner enough support for a 60-vote threshold, a necessary benchmark to avoid a filibuster in the Senate.
Interestingly, moderate Rep. Susan Collins from Maine became the latest Senate Republican to voice approval for the bill. In contrast, the outspokenly anti-Trump Mitch McConnell from Kentucky stands as the only Republican senator opposed to it.
“I’m urging you to approve the SAVE America Act,” Trump said to the assembly of lawmakers. “We need to prevent illegal aliens and others from voting in our sacred elections.”
As he pushed for tougher election integrity measures, Trump claimed, “Fraud in our elections is rampant. It’s very straightforward: every voter should show their ID.” This statement drew considerable applause from fellow Republicans, as he insisted that all voters must provide proof of citizenship.
Furthermore, the president asserted that Democratic policies are so lacking that “the only way to win elections is to cheat.” He called on Thune, saying, “John, we have to stop it.”
Many in the Republican camp, including Trump, want Thune to engage in a tactic known as a talking filibuster. This would compel Democrats to address the bill on the floor, allowing it to potentially pass with a simple majority.
On the following day, Thune appeared on Fox News, announcing plans to introduce a motion to the chamber. He aimed to “take the vote” and force Democrats to go on record regarding voter ID policies.
Yet, this commitment didn’t satisfy the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Mike Lee from Texas and Rep. Chip Roy, also from Texas.
In response to Thune’s comments, Roy mentioned on X that while a vote is on the table, it’s merely “theater” and would ultimately fail without a serious talking filibuster.
Lee acknowledged that while he appreciated Thune’s decision to force a vote on the SAVE America Act, it simply wasn’t sufficient. “President Trump and the American people expect us to pass this bill,” he claimed, arguing that a filibuster is necessary.
Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of Federalist, weighed in, criticizing Thune’s approach. He suggested that Thune seemingly avoids the responsibility of enforcing a genuine filibuster and instead resorts to a failed process.
