White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Trump’s patience with Senate Majority Leader John Thune over the stalled SAVE America Act is “running out,” escalating public pressure on the GOP leader to advance the controversial voting bill before the August recess.
“His patience is running out. He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess,” Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing. “He knows that’s what the American people want to see passed.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to cast ballots. Trump has made it his top legislative priority, but the measure has faced repeated defeats in the Senate despite support from the House, which passed it three times.
The Senate has voted on the SAVE Act at least five times in whole or in part since February, but it has failed each time to advance. Four Republican senators—Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis—have joined all Democrats in blocking the measure, according to reporting from the Axios and The Hill.
Thune shot back at Leavitt’s remarks hours later, appearing irritated by the White House criticism. “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here,” the South Dakota Republican said when asked about the press secretary’s statement. He added that the White House should focus on persuading Democrats or “gettable” Republicans rather than pointing fingers at GOP senators.
Trump has grown increasingly vocal about his frustration with Senate inaction. During a campaign stop in Georgia on Wednesday, he complained that the Senate is “a place you send things when you want them to die” and declared, “We’re not going to take this any longer.” He has previously said he will not sign other legislation until the SAVE Act passes, calling it something that “supersedes everything else.”
The tension between Trump and Thune reflects a broader rift within the Republican Party over voting restrictions. Thune has repeatedly told reporters that Senate Republicans lack the votes to pass the bill, especially without eliminating the filibuster—a move Thune and other GOP leaders oppose. “It’s about the votes. It’s about the math,” Thune said earlier this week. “I’m the one who has to be the clear-eyed realist about what we can achieve here.”
The House on Wednesday passed a budget framework that would set the stage for a $95 billion reconciliation package including $10 billion for election-related reforms. However, that measure faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Thune said he does not currently have 50 GOP votes to advance a budget resolution.
Sources
- The Hill — Leavitt’s statement that Trump’s patience is running out with Thune over the SAVE Act, and Thune’s response
- NPR — Details on the SAVE Act’s content and its repeated failures in the Senate since June
- Axios — Background on the SAVE Act, voting history, and Republican divisions over the bill
