Senate Majority Leader John Thune is once again drawing fire from conservatives for refusing to adjust Senate rules to advance President Donald Trumps signature election integrity proposal, the SAVE America Act.
According to the Gateway Pundit, Thune (R?SD) has rebuffed mounting pressure from Trump and grassroots conservatives who want the GOP leadership to prioritize securing U.S. elections ahead of the midterms, opting instead to preserve the Senates procedural status quo.
Yeah, thats not going to happen, Thune said on Monday when pressed by ABC News about altering the Senates 60?vote threshold to advance legislation, a rule that effectively allows Democrats and a handful of moderates to block conservative priorities.
This refusal directly undercuts Trumps urgent push for the SAVE America Act, a measure designed to crack down on voter fraud and ensure that only American citizens cast ballots in federal elections.
Thune attempted to strike a conciliatory tone while still signaling he would not break with the Senates entrenched norms.
The president clearly is very interested in getting the SAVE America bill up and voted on, although he wants a modified version of it, and so well do our best to do that, Thune said, before immediately hedging on whether he would actually deliver the outcome Trump and his supporters are demanding.
But the one thing Ive said all along is, and Ive told him and others, that I cant guarantee an outcome. I cant guarantee a result. If the result is only achieved by nuking the legislative filibuster, we dont have the votes to do that and so thats not a thats just not a realistic option.
For many conservatives, that posture sounds less like principled leadership and more like an excuse to avoid confronting Democrats and establishment Republicans who are content with a porous election system.
Thunes comments came on the heels of a blistering post from Trump on his social media platform, where the former president made clear he views the SAVE America Act as non?negotiable.
Great Job by hard working Scott Pressler on Fox & Friends talking about using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster, in order to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS. 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 WOMENS SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!!
Trump has framed the legislation not only as an election integrity measure but as a broader defense of traditional values, tying voter ID and citizenship verification to protections for womens sports and children against radical gender ideology.
The former president also floated the idea of a talking filibuster as a way to force the issue under existing Senate rules, a tactic that would require Republicans to physically hold the floor and sustain debate.
But Thune quickly dismissed that strategy as well, warning that without formal rule changes, such an effort could devolve into a monthslong spectacle that would consume the chambers schedule, according to ABC News.
Our time in the Senate is a finite resource and its something that we need to use wisely and well to get as much done as we can, Thune argued, suggesting that protecting legislative bandwidth outweighs the push to restore confidence in Americas elections.
Last month, he acknowledged that his conference is not unified on using a talking filibuster to force a vote on the SAVE Act, underscoring the divide between the partys populist base and its institutional leadership.
This is not the first time Thune has been accused by conservatives of undercutting Trumps agenda at a pivotal moment.
Previously, the Senate leader helped orchestrate a procedural maneuver to block Trump from making key recess appointments during the August break, a move that effectively aligned with Democrats obstruction of the administrations personnel choices.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the president can make recess appointments, temporary appointments to federal positions, if the Senate is in recess and not conducting business, allowing those appointees to serve until the end of the next session of Congress without immediate confirmation.
However, by holding pro forma sessionsbrief, symbolic meetings where no substantive work occursthe Senate can technically remain in session, thereby preventing the president from legally making such appointments and preserving the bureaucracy that many voters elected Trump to confront.
For conservatives who believe election integrity is the foundation of self?government, Thunes insistence on protecting Senate procedure over advancing the SAVE America Act raises a stark question about priorities.
With Trump vowing, I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, and grassroots activists treating the bill as an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS, the clash between the America First movement and the Republican establishment is only intensifyingand voters will ultimately decide which vision of the party prevails.
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