President Donald Trump intensified his public pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune at a Georgia rally Wednesday, calling on supporters to flood the South Dakota Republican’s office with demands to advance the SAVE America Act.
“We have to pass the SAVE America Act to defend American elections. And I have to say, Mike Johnson and Congress have done a great job, but we’re having a hard time in the Senate,” Trump told rally attendees. “It’s like the Senate is a place where you send things when you want them to die.”
The president urged direct action from his supporters: “We’re not going to take this any longer… I’m trying to be nice. Everybody call John Thune at the Senate, he’s the leader of the Republican party, and tell him to get this stuff approved!”
Trump also renewed his push to eliminate the legislative filibuster, warning that Democrats would abolish the 60-vote threshold if they regained power. He predicted they would then move to grant statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., adding senators, House members, and electoral votes to their column.
“But I may be crying when I’ll be sitting home, and I’ll say, I told them, they’ve got to really terminate the filibuster, get everything approved right away,” the president added.
House Passes Third Version of Election Measure
Trump’s remarks came just hours after the House passed a third iteration of the election integrity legislation, this time by attaching it to the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
The combined measure passed 232-198, with 13 Democrats crossing party lines to support it. According to Politico, the vote marked the first time a congressional stock trading ban has received a floor vote in the House.
Democrats who voted against the legislation argued that Republicans had undermined legitimate stock trading reform by attaching provisions from the SAVE America Act. “Republicans have corrupted their so-called stock trading bill with a decaying piece of the SAVE American Act corpse,” Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York said, according to Politico.
Growing Republican Frustration with Senate Leadership
Dissatisfaction with Thune’s handling of the legislation extends beyond the White House. House Republicans who have now passed the measure three times have become increasingly vocal about the Senate’s failure to act.
“If John Thune has shown that he does not want to put the SAVE America Act on the Senate floor, he should step aside,” Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee wrote on social media. “There are plenty of other options in the Senate capable of securing our elections as Majority Leader.”
New Jersey Registration Error Fuels Debate
Republicans have pointed to recent developments in New Jersey as evidence for the need for stronger election safeguards. Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill revealed Tuesday that a software error at the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission mistakenly registered approximately 6,600 non-citizens to vote despite their indicating they were not U.S. citizens.
The registrations occurred between June 2023 and June 2024 when individuals applied for driver’s licenses and identification cards. “These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers’ licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway,” Sherrill wrote on social media.
Trump administration officials indicated that non-citizens who illegally voted could face prosecution and deportation. “People need to see the consequences of voting when you’re not allowed to,” Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson.
Uncertain Senate Path
The combined stock trading ban and election integrity measure now advances to the Senate, where its prospects remain unclear. Thune has not publicly committed to bringing the legislation to the floor for a vote, despite mounting pressure from both the White House and members of his own conference.
The legislative standoff highlights growing tensions between the House and Senate Republican leadership over legislative priorities and strategy, with Trump positioning himself firmly on the side of House members pushing for immediate action on election-related measures.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-turns-up-heat-on-thune-over-save-act