President Donald Trump and the House’s conservative hardliners say the Senate needs to pass voter identification legislation before anything else.
But is the Senate listening?
On Sunday, Trump declared on social media that the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification and proof of citizenship in federal elections, “MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE” and that he “will not sign other Bills until this is passed.”
The president also demanded new additions to the SAVE America Act, which was passed the house in February—a ban on most mail-in ballots, transgender surgeries for children, and transgender-identifying male athletes in women’s sports.
Pressure
But the Senate has proceeded with business as usual, voting to advance a bipartisan housing bill on Tuesday.
Senate Republicans have been enduring a pressure campaign, spearheaded by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and amplified by Elon Musk to force Democrats to engage in a “talking filibuster” if they wish to block the SAVE America Act
Proponents of the talking filibuster argue that Republicans can enforce the Senate’s rules in such a way that Democrats would have to speak continuously in order to block bills, as opposed to simply denying their votes for cloture. This, in theory, would allow Republicans to overcome the typical 60-vote threshold required to end debate on a bill.
Such an approach would require extreme party discipline and would have to involve Republicans uniting to table (or shelve) Democrat-backed amendments.
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., asked about the pressure to employ the talking filibuster, replied, “A lot of that is, it’s in that kind of, you know, paid influencer ecosystem.”
Later on Monday, Lee seemingly responded to Thune’s remarks, saying in a video posted on X, “if you’re hearing this message and you agree with these objectives, please redouble your efforts. Make clear this is not the product of paid influencers.”
Can the Senate Get to 50?
On Tuesday, Thune said the votes simply do not exist to pull the talking filibuster off.
“The votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster. It’s just a reality,” Thune told reporters on Tuesday.
“I’m the person who has to deliver sometimes the not-so-good news that the math doesn’t add up, but those are the facts, and there’s no getting around it,” he added.
During a recent appearance on an Indiana radio show, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., a supporter of the SAVE America Act, cast doubt on the idea that it even has 50 supporters, although he pledged to fight for its passage.
“I’m not sure that it even gets to 50, but we’re going to keep fighting for it, and the sooner we pass it and protect our elections, the better,” Banks said.
House Pressure
But if the Senate is unable—or uninterested—in attempting to pass the SAVE America Act after forcing a talking filibuster, it could have major consequences.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has threatened to vote down any Senate bill as long as Senate Republicans are not pulling every stop to pass the SAVE Act.
“No Senator should expect passage of their personal project bills once the [Senate] bill arrives in the House,” Higgins wrote on social media in late February.
He continued, “Some of us will use every possible procedural means to block your bills, until you stand and fight for the SAVE America Act. We’re not demanding the victory gentlemen, We’re demanding the fight.”
If the president means business when it comes to not signing bills, and House conservatives are willing to hold a blockade of their own as Higgins suggests, it could exert extreme pressure on the Senate in the coming weeks.
