Senate Majority Leader John Thune fired back Thursday at the White House after press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump’s patience is “running out” over the stalled SAVE America Act, telling the administration to stop blaming Republicans and instead work to secure votes themselves.
“She or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol when asked about Leavitt’s comments. “Instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats.”
The exchange marks an escalation in tensions between Trump and his Senate GOP leader over the voting-reform bill. The SAVE America Act, formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, along with strict voter ID requirements at the polls. The House passed the bill earlier this year, but it has stalled in the Senate.
Trump made the bill a top priority and has repeatedly demanded that Thune and Senate Republicans use the budget reconciliation process—which bypasses the filibuster and requires only a simple majority—to pass the legislation. At a rally in Marietta, Georgia, on Wednesday, Trump vented his frustration, telling the crowd: “We’re having a hard time in the Senate. … It’s like the Senate is a place you send things when you want them to die.”
Thune’s core problem is mathematical. On Thursday, he announced he doesn’t have 50 Republican votes to advance even a House-passed budget resolution that would set the stage for broader legislation, including funding for the Iran war and election reforms. The Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold means Democrats can block the SAVE Act unless Republicans can persuade some Democrats to support it—a prospect Thune says is unlikely.
Thune’s response to the White House criticism drew swift support from GOP allies. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he has “1000 percent confidence in Thune,” and added that “anybody in the White House who thinks he’s not a good leader isn’t qualified for their job.” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins of Maine, who voted against the SAVE Act when it was offered as an amendment to a budget package, also defended the majority leader, saying he “enjoys well-deserved support from the caucus.”
The tension reflects a fundamental disagreement over legislative priorities. Thune is focused on avoiding a government shutdown before the November midterm elections, with a deadline approaching in October. A Republican senator close to Thune told The Hill that “the most important thing we need to do between now and Oct. 1 is to make sure we don’t shut the government down.” Thune has said he will hold the House-passed budget framework as a vehicle for a continuing resolution if necessary to keep the government funded.
Trump, by contrast, has called for an aggressive push on the SAVE Act and other priorities, posting on Truth Social in June that he was “hereby calling on Republicans in Congress to IMMEDIATELY advance and pass” a reconciliation bill that would include the voting measure. “No games, no delays, and no weak compromises,” he wrote.
The escalating pressure from Trump on the stalled bill comes as the White House and Senate GOP navigate competing demands. Some Republican senators have questioned whether passing the SAVE Act before the election is even feasible, given the administrative changes it would require. The bill remains a flashpoint in the broader conflict between Trump’s legislative ambitions and Thune’s focus on holding his conference together while managing the Senate’s procedural constraints.
Sources
- Washington Examiner — Thune’s direct response to Leavitt’s comments about Trump’s patience running out
- The Hill — Detailed reporting on tensions between Thune and Trump, Thune’s vote count, GOP allies’ defense of Thune, and the legislative priorities conflict
- NBC News — Overview of the SAVE America Act’s citizenship and voter ID requirements
- Congress.gov — Official bill text and provisions of H.R. 22, the SAVE Act
