President Donald Trump reiterated his request for the senate parliamentarian to be fired, as the “SAVE America Act” remains the president’s top legislative priority, especially of the Supreme Court's ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee on Monday.
The court ruled that ballots that are obtained after Election Day can still be counted if they were postmarked before then, which the president said was "a little bit surprising" when asked by Townhall in the Oval Office on Monday.
“The SAVE Act is even more important, and it's the right, you have to be a citizen of our country,” he said. Trump continues to float the possibility of using the filibuster or attaching it to a third reconciliation bill as a way to avoid needing 60 votes in the Senate, instead needing only a simple majority.
"It's held up in the Senate, and frankly, if you terminated the filibuster, you just need 50 votes, and you have 53 and then you have JD [Vance], so the Democrats are going to terminate the filibuster, but if you did reconciliation, you could do it with 50 votes," he told reporters.
Trump explains why the SAVE America Act is even MORE crucial after today's SCOTUS ruling:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 29, 2026
"Because of the mail-in ballot ruling, which was a little surprising, gives people more time to vote illegally. The SAVE Act is even more important [...] The ruling, which a lot of people… pic.twitter.com/HkntyRyEDX
.@realDailyWire’s @MaryMargOlohan: “You were posting about how important it is to get the SAVE America Act passed. Who do you see as the biggest hurdle to getting this across the finish line?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 29, 2026
President Trump: “Well, it’s held up in the Senate. And frankly, if you terminated the… pic.twitter.com/OFBeBf0u4G
The act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal races, has already passed the House multiple times, but has serious obstacles in the Senate. There are a handful of Republicans not backing the proposal, along with significant pushback from Democrats.
“You have to show you're a citizen of our country […] voter ID by photo, photo voter ID, and no mail-in ballots unless you're the military disabled, you're ill, or you're away, or even on a vacation,” the president continued.
“We're being very open about it. It's pretty easy, and we'll have honest elections. But the ruling, which a lot of people waited for, that was a ruling that was, I think, it was very dedicated to August elections, but it is what it is,” Trump added.
However, the reconciliation process has strict policies about what can and cannot be included. Speaker Mike Johnson has floated creating a grant program proposal as one way to get the proposal past the Byrd Rule, according to The Hill.
The tactic of adding it onto reconciliation has led to dissent within the caucus, including from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), a major proponent of the legislation.
“My amendment for voter ID + Proof of Citizenship has been officially filed to be considered for an amendment to the [National Defense Authorization Act.] It is amendment 1388,” Luna posted to X. “It is NOT possible to add the SAVE America Act to reconciliation. It would fail miserably with the Byrd Rule.”
My amendment for voter ID + Proof of Citizenship has been officially filed to be considered for an amendment to the NDAA. It is amendment 1388. It is NOT possible to add the SAVE America Act to reconciliation. It would fail miserably with the Byrd Rule.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) June 29, 2026
House leadership has… pic.twitter.com/JgbhDdssv4
“House leadership has direct decision-making authority over whether or not this will be added to the NDAA. The idea that this can’t be done is false, and if there is going to be a request for my vote on the rule, they need to allow this to come to the floor,” she added.
As the senate parliamentarian plays a role in Byrd Rule guidance, Trump also reignited his calls for Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to be fired, as she was appointed by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) over a decade ago.
“I can't imagine where you keep a woman that was put there by Harry Reid and Barack Hussein Obama,” Trump said.
“I cannot understand it. The leader has the right to fire the person at will and put somebody else there, that could be he gets so many negative ruling from her, the parliamentarian. She stood there for years, and she was put there by Harry Reid and Barack Hussein Obama,” he continued.
On the flip side of the parliamentarian conversation, a GOP Senate aide previously told Townhall that MacDonough has been a “pretty fair player.”
“And, as is typically the case, the parliamentarian rulings break both ways, and you know, we lose a few, we win a few, but that's been true when the Democrats have been in the majority too,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier this month.
“So that's a hard job, it's a very specific skill set, and you need somebody that is going to be a fair, you know, referee when it comes to this stuff. So I don't have anything to, any comment on that. I saw what he said,” Thune added.
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