Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) explained why Republicans in the upper chamber can’t seem to pass the SAVE America Act.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump upped the ante on Wednesday when he threatened to not sign any legislation extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
During an appearance with Fox News’ Bret Baier, the host asked Thune how he would explain the matter to President Trump.
"The only way you can get this done is to nuke the legislative filibuster,” Thune replied. “And this is not something that we have anywhere close to the votes to do. So we have had votes... We will continue to put the Democrats on record. The Democrats are voting against an issue that 80 to 85% of the American people are for."
🚨 NEW: Fox’s @BretBaier challenges Sen. John Thune on why the SAVE America Act and voter ID reform hasn’t progressed: “What do you say to the President?”
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 16, 2026
THUNE: "The only way you can get this done is to nuke the legislative filibuster. And this is not something that we have… pic.twitter.com/0CRZ8wOw0Q
The SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, was passed in the House, but slammed into a wall in the Senate where it needs at least 60 votes to pass.
The Senate voted 48 to 50 against attaching the proposed legislation to a budget reconciliation package. President Trump has kept the pressure on Senate Republicans to pass the measure by nuking the filibuster. However, as Thune said in the interview, there aren’t enough Republican lawmakers willing to make that move.
President Trump on Bill Pulte and SAVE America Act: "I'm not going to sign FISA unless it's done." pic.twitter.com/m2rSCNATXz
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 17, 2026
At the same time, Section 702, which allows federal agencies to spy on foreigners without a warrant, has lapsed. Lawmakers hoped to pass an extension to consider ways to reform the practice, which many have criticized because the provision led to warrantless spying on American citizens.
Four Republican senators have opposed nuking the filibuster, including Sens. Thom Tillis (NC), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mitch McConnell (KY) and Susan Collins (ME). They argue that the filibuster tradition should remain in place.
However, Trump and other Republicans pointed out that Democrats will not hesitate to do away with the filibuster when they regain control of the upper chamber.
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