Conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives are increasing pressure on the Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act, threatening to block other legislation until the bill becomes law. While allies of President Donald Trump have been pushing for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to keep the legislation on the floor as long as possible, it’s still expected to fail due to RINO treachery and Democrat intransigence.
The level of opposition from Democrats will make it impossible for the GOP to overcome the 60-vote threshold required to pass a bill forward to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The SAVE Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship when individuals register to vote in elections. Voters would also need to present their ID at the polls in order to cast a ballot.
Despite all of that, many House Republicans refuse to back down from their threats, which could make life much more complicated for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) to get other bills tied to President Trump’s agenda pushed through Congress. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna recently did an interview with The Hill, where she slammed Thune for attempting to do a “show vote.”
“It is unacceptable for them to try to do a show vote, which is exactly what Thune is doing,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said during the interview. “Basically a head fake, to try to make the American people think that they’re really making an attempt at passing this when they’re not.” Several other GOP members of the House have urged Thune to work around Democratic opposition through the implementation of the “talking filibuster.”
This would force Democrats to talk continuously on the Senate floor in order to delay the bill. Once they give up and cede the floor, Senate Republicans could then pass the legislation with only 51 votes. However, Thune has pushed back on the idea, opting instead to advance the bill through regular order, saying he doesn’t have enough GOP support to utilize the talking filibuster, warning that forcing one could ultimately backfire.
“Thune knows, and every other member of the Senate, as well as the House, understand that unless they embrace the talking filibuster, it will not pass,” Luna went on to say. “And so, really, his options are to have every piece of Senate legislation die on the House floor, which we have the votes to do. We are going to do that. So, effective starting this week, no Senate legislation will pass that they send over to the House.”
In a viral video clip, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) sat down with Fox News and revealed he will oppose all Senate bills except funding for the Department of Homeland Security until the SAVE Act is passed, noting the voting reform legislation is “what the American people want.” Gill then said, “This is going to be key to House Republicans keeping a majority in November.”
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Other House Republicans who are joining with Gill and Luna include: Reps. Mark Harris (N.C.), Randy Fine (Fla.), Derrick Van Orden (Wis.), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Keith Self (Texas). Davidson wrote on social media, “I’m encouraged that many of my @HouseGOP colleagues have made similar commitments. It’s time for deeds, not words in the Senate. Call the question and PASS The SAVE America Act.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video