Trump hits back at Republican Senate majority leader over Save America act | Donald Trump
Donald Trump fired back after Republican Senate majority leader John Thune refused to change the rules to force a vote on the Save America Act, a sprawling bill that would disrupt elections for American voters during the midterm elections.
Trump gave Thune a clear message to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday: “He has to be a leader.”
The comments came after Trump addressed the full court about the bill, saying he would not sign any other legislation until it came to his desk to sign the Save America Act.
While the House has approved one version of the bill, the Senate has no vote because it would need 60 votes to advance due to the filibuster rule. Conservatives who support the bill have pushed for Thune to appoint a so-called “talking” filibuster, which would force Democrats to take the floor to block the Save America legislation.
Thune, of South Dakota, said he plans to put the bill to a vote next week, but that would mean it would fail; He doesn’t have the 60 votes to get around the filibuster rule and vote the bill directly, and filibustering is not a viable option.
“We don’t have the votes to continue [to] “It’s just a function of the math. There’s nothing I can do about it,” Thune said at a news conference Tuesday.
Thune said he needs to be a “clear-eyed realist” about the bill’s future in his chamber.
“We will fight on the field,” Thune said. “We’re going to have a vote on this. I can guarantee a debate, I can guarantee a vote, but I can’t guarantee a result.”
On Wednesday, Trump said it was the South Dakota lawmaker’s duty to “get them,” referring to votes he didn’t have.
Trump’s demands for the Save America Act also mean the legislation must return to the House for an additional vote because Trump wants to add a number of measures not included in the bill. home versionThey include a ban on mail-in voting, a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for minors, and a ban on transgender women from playing women’s sports.
Some of these new provisions, as well as some in the current bill, are not to the liking of all Republicans. Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said he does not approve of banning mail-in voting.
“I don’t want the federal government to tell me I can’t vote by mail or vote by absentee ballot,” Tillis said. According to Politico. “There’s nothing wrong with voting by mail if you have the right standards.”
Trump continued to invoke the Save America Act and insist on its passage, while repeating the lie that Democrats stole the election and that undocumented people were voting in large numbers.
“THE SAVE AMERICA ACT is the most popular bill of its kind ever introduced to Congress!” he wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Provisions of the Save America Act include: Requirement to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship (such as a passport or birth certificate) to register to vote; voter ID requirement to vote; banning states from registering people to vote unless they provide such documentation at registration; requirements for states to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered; a demand that states turn over their electors to the federal government; and allowing private parties to sue election officials if anyone registers to vote without presenting proof of citizenship, among possible criminal penalties.
The bill could disrupt election processes at any time, but could cause particular chaos in the ongoing election cycle. While primaries have been held in many states, midterms have already begun.
Voting rights advocates said the bill would effectively prevent millions of Americans from voting, since only half have a valid U.S. passport and other documents such as birth certificates may not match people’s names. Officials pointed out the effects on married women who changed their names and whose documents were not updated and said that this law could create additional obstacles for them to vote.
The Save America Act is weighing on the midterm elections as conservative activists show their dismay at Thune and other Republicans who did not clear the way for the bill.
Texas Republican John Cornyn, who is fighting to defend his U.S. Senate seat against state attorney general Ken Paxton, withdrew his previous support for the filibuster to pledge his support for the bill and hope to gain the president’s approval in the process.
Inside An article published in the New York Post On Wednesday, Cornyn said Democrats were “weaponizing Senate rules” to block voter ID legislation from moving forward.
“After careful consideration, I support the RELIEVE America Act and any changes to Senate rules that may be necessary to get us past the Democratic hurdle to get homeland security funding through the Senate and onto the president’s desk for his signature,” Cornyn said.
