Thune says Senate to consider voting bill but pushes back on demands for ‘talking filibuster’

Senate Majority Leader Thune Signals Defeat for Trump-Backed Voting Bill

Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged Tuesday that a contentious bill imposing new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voters lacks sufficient support to overcome Democratic opposition, despite President Donald Trump’s insistence that the legislation is critical for Republican electoral success.

“The votes aren’t there,” Thune told reporters, referring to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which Trump has made a centerpiece of his pre-midterm agenda. “That is just a function of math. For better or worse, I’m the one who has to be a clear-eyed realist about what we can achieve here.”

The frank assessment comes after Trump declared he would refuse to sign any other legislation until the SAVE Act passes. The president has publicly pressured Senate Republicans to employ extraordinary procedural measures, including a marathon “talking filibuster” or eliminating the filibuster entirely, to force the bill through despite unified Democratic opposition.

Senate Republicans now plan to bring the legislation to a vote next week under regular procedures, essentially guaranteeing its failure in the 53-47 Republican-controlled chamber, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. Thune framed the upcoming vote as an opportunity to force Democrats to publicly declare “whether they think noncitizens should vote in American elections.”

The standoff highlights growing tensions between Trump’s demands and Senate procedural realities. Trump told House Republicans at a Florida retreat Monday that passing the bill would “guarantee the midterms,” adding ominously: “If you don’t get it, big trouble.” Federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections.

Democrats uniformly oppose the legislation, arguing it would disenfranchise an estimated 20 million American citizens who lack ready access to birth certificates or other required documentation. Republicans lack the votes within their own caucus to eliminate the filibuster, which would allow passage with a simple majority.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who has championed Trump’s procedural demands, posted on social media Tuesday that “the Senate should do everything it can in an effort to pass” the bill, adding that “while passage isn’t guaranteed, we can be certain that failure will be the outcome if we don’t try.”

However, multiple Republican senators indicated after a conference meeting Tuesday that they’re prepared to move forward with a standard vote. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “I think we just go ahead and try to get on the bill,” while Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson suggested a more extended floor debate rather than a “one and done vote” that would anger the Republican base.

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina expressed support for Thune’s approach, saying, “There’s a right way to do it, there’s a wrong way to do it. Nuking the filibuster doesn’t work. The talking filibuster would be a goat rodeo.” He added that Thune “has the toughest job in Washington, D.C. He’s doing just fine.”

Trump has recently expanded his demands beyond the original legislation, calling for additional provisions banning mail-in ballots — a voting method he has criticized since his 2020 election loss — and unrelated measures addressing transgender rights. “Let’s go for the gold,” he told House Republicans at their Florida gathering.

House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated Tuesday that Republican leaders are “looking at mechanisms” to incorporate Trump’s additional demands, though it remains unclear whether a mail-in ballot ban would garner sufficient support in the House, where the practice enjoys popularity in many states.

Thune suggested that any modifications would require the House to pass an entirely new bill rather than amend the current legislation already sent to the Senate.

The impasse represents a significant political challenge for Republican leadership, caught between appeasing an increasingly assertive former president and navigating the practical limitations of Senate procedure with midterm elections approaching.