Trump Pushes Senate on SAVE America Act Ahead of August Recess

President Donald Trump, through White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, warned that his patience with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans is wearing thin because the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has stalled in the upper chamber.

The Hill

The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and a photo ID for casting ballots. The House has taken multiple votes to advance the measure, but the Senate has not moved it forward despite at least five votes on the bill or its components. Republican leaders are split on whether to change Senate rules; Thune says there are not enough GOP votes to scrap the filibuster.

New York Times

Republicans have linked the voting-restriction proposal to a $95 billion budget reconciliation package that also funds the war in Iran, agricultural aid, and other defense priorities. The strategy is to use reconciliation— which bypasses the 60-vote filibuster threshold— to embed SAVE provisions in a budget-related bill.

CBS News

• The House approved a budget resolution 216-214 that earmarks $10 billion for election-related grants intended to encourage states to adopt SAVE-type requirements.

CBS News

• New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill reported about 6,600 non-citizens were erroneously registered to vote in her state; fewer than 400 of those individuals voted between June 2023 and June 2024.

• The Senate does not currently have 50 Republican votes for the budget resolution.

Democracy Docket

• Mike Johnson (House Speaker, R-LA) called the budget resolution the GOP’s “best shot” to enact as much of the SAVE America Act as possible.

CBS News

• The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the SAVE provisions may not fit within a reconciliation bill, prompting the White House to call for her removal, though no final decision has been made.

Democracy Docket

Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans argue the bill would suppress voting rights and lacks bipartisan support. Senate Democrats have blocked the measure, citing the inability to reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome the filibuster. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) called the voter-ID provision attached to a separate stock-trading reform a “Trojan horse” designed to restrict ballot access.

Democracy Docket

• The figure of 6,600 non-citizens registered in New Jersey comes solely from Gov. Sherrill; no national estimate is provided, leaving the broader prevalence of registration errors unclear.

• The parliamentarian’s ruling that SAVE provisions may be ineligible for reconciliation conflicts with the administration’s push to include them; the procedural outcome remains unresolved.

Democracy Docket

• “His patience is running out. He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess,” — Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary

The Hill

• “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes,” — John Thune, South Dakota Republican

The House budget resolution must be adopted by the Senate before the upcoming recess for reconciliation to proceed. Trump has urged supporters to call Thune and other senators to apply pressure before the break ends.