President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday morning to say he will not sign any other bills until the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act is passed by the Senate. He wrote:
It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The bill has cleared the House but remains stalled in the Senate, where it falls short of the 60 votes required to invoke cloture and end debate under current filibuster rules.
Republicans face two procedural paths. They could eliminate the legislative filibuster outright — a move some in the conference resist, wary of the precedent it would set when Democrats next control the chamber.
Alternatively, they could force a return to the “talking filibuster,” requiring opponents to hold the floor and sustain debate physically. Once the debate collapses, the measure could advance to a final vote and pass with a simple majority.
With more than 80% of Americans backing the legislation, opposition from any member of Congress — elected to represent their constituents — is difficult to justify.
It’s clear to see why, with the possible exception of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), no Democratic senators support the SAVE Act. It would make it harder to cheat in elections.
Far more difficult to grasp, however, is the hesitation — and in some cases outright refusal — of certain Republican senators to pull out all the stops to see this important legislation across the finish line.
On Saturday, Fox News released a list of Republican senators either “opposed or skeptical” of using the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE Act that includes: Sens. John Cornyn (TX), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Katie Britt (AL), John Curtis (UT), Kevin Cramer (ND), Thom Tillis (NC), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (SD).
[I would add Mitch McConnell to this list.]
Notably, responding on X, Britt said her inclusion on this list was “blatantly false.” She noted she’d been working with Sen. Mike Lee (UT) to find the votes to pass the bill.
Thune is reportedly most concerned about “not having enough GOP senators to stand unified against a Dem amendment onslaught.”
Thune’s hesitation has become a source of mounting frustration for conservatives who believe this moment demands resolve, not caution. The SAVE Act is not some fringe or experimental proposal. It enjoys overwhelming public support. If legislation with this level of backing does not merit a procedural fight, what does?
The political reality is that while Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, that control is anything but permanent. The House majority is narrow. The Senate map is unpredictable. Waiting for a more convenient moment is not a strategy; it is surrender by delay. Opportunities like this do not linger.
There is reason to believe the bill could pass. Cornyn, who is locked in a contentious senate primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has just expressed his support for the bill. Although Cornyn finished last week’s primary with 41.9% of the vote, slightly ahead of Paxton with 40.7%, because neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold, the race will be decided in a May 26 runoff. [Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) finished last with 13.5% of the vote.]
In the interest of avoiding another three months of red on red mudslinging that would weaken the winner in the general election, Trump announced he will endorse one of the candidates soon and ask the other to withdraw from the race. It was speculated that if he endorses Cornyn, the senator might become a bit more enthusiastic about passing the SAVE Act via the talking filibuster.
And that appears to be happening. Upon seeing his name on Fox News’ list of Republican senators opposed or skeptical of passing the bill, Cornyn responded, “Contrary to fake news in the twitterverse: I have supported the Save America Act from day one. I will happily support the ‘talking filibuster’ if that’s what it takes to pass this into law.”
Noting Cornyn’s sudden support for the talking filibuster, his opponent replied, “I made Cornyn more conservative in the last 3 days than he’s been in the last 24 years.”
True.
Passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would stand as the Trump administration’s most consequential domestic policy achievement of 2026.
On Friday, actor and political influencer James Woods posted on X that he was so upset over Thune’s refusal to pass the SAVE Act, he was changing his party affiliation from Republican Party to Independent. He called Thune and his group “uniparty traitors.”
The SAVE Act can and must pass. Trump signaled on Sunday that he will continue to pressure Thune and other GOP senators to employ the talking filibuster to make it happen. Thune must use his influence to gain the support of a handful of Republican holdouts.
The question is no longer whether the SAVE Act can pass. It is whether Thune is willing to fight for it — or whether he will disregard the clear will of the people and let it die through inaction.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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