Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a news conference with other members of the Senate Republican leadership after the weekly policy luncheon on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC, United States.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | getty images
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D. said Thursday that he will bring the Save America Act to the Senate floor next week.
The voter-ID bill backed by President Donald Trump would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to vote.
For months Trump, GOP hard-liners and online influencers like Elon Musk have spoken out against the bill’s opponents and have repeatedly called for changes to the Senate filibuster rule to ensure passage in the upper chamber. supports thune Legislation But he rejected those calls, saying that changing Senate procedures could have unintended consequences. Speaking in the Senate on Thursday, he made no mention of changing the chamber’s rules, only assuring that the motion would not pass.
“I can’t guarantee any outcome on this legislation, but I can guarantee that we’re going to hold the Democrats on the record,” Thune said.
The House advanced the Save America Act on a mostly party-line vote last month. Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas was the lone Democrat to support the measure.
Most Democrats and voting rights activists argue that the Save America Act would disenfranchise millions of voters and make it harder for women, minorities, and youth to vote. Meanwhile, Republicans point to public voting Those that show voter ID and bar non-citizens from voting — which is already illegal in federal elections and rarely happens — are popular proposals.
“This is a package of common sense policies, the kind of common sense policies that should get an automatic yes vote from virtually every member of this body,” Thune said Thursday.
Anticipating the bill’s failure in the Senate, Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, who introduced the legislation, and other proponents have engaged in a pressure campaign to return to the “permanent filibuster”, which requires dissenting members to actively block legislation on the Senate floor and could, in theory, allow the bill to pass with a simple 50-vote majority.
Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate and Democrats have vowed to oppose the bill.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. as others have suggested the only way to pass This legislation has to be attached to another must-pass bill, such as the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress It is expected to take place next month.
Meanwhile, Trump is focusing on the polls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will shape the final two years of his presidency. He suggested earlier this year that Republicans should “nationalize” elections, threatened to impose voter-ID requirements by executive order and said Sunday that he would not sign any bills reaching his desk unless the Save America Act is passed.
“This must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. Must go to the front of the line,” Trump said in a speech. satya social post On Sunday. “I, as President, will not sign other bills until this one passes.”
He referenced the Save America Act during an appearance at a packaging facility in Kentucky on Wednesday, saying “all voters must show voter ID” and calling for an end to mail-in ballots except in limited circumstances.