First posted on Instagram
President Donald Trump on Thursday turned up the pressure on Senate Republicans, accusing the chamber of becoming the place where major legislation goes to die and warning that failing to pass the SAVE America Act and end the filibuster would go down as one of the greatest mistakes in American political history.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday morning, Mr. Trump said: "The Republican Senate can no longer be the place 'where things are sent to die.' Not passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT (Voter I.D., Proof of Citizenship), sent up five times by the House, was devastating to the Republican Party in the Midterms."
The SAVE America Act would require proof of United States citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and photo identification to cast a ballot. The House passed the bill on February 11 by a vote of 218 to 213, with 217 Republicans and one Democrat voting in favour, but it has sat stalled in the Senate ever since, blocked by the filibuster. Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to advance it.
Mr. Trump also argued that refusing to eliminate the filibuster could leave Republicans unable to advance their agenda, writing: "Not terminating the Filibuster, and getting EVERYTHING even 'dreamt' of, approved, when the Dems will definitely do so, will go down as being one of the greatest mistakes in the Political History of America."
With the remaining time in the session, Mr. Trump urged Republicans to move quickly on confirming nominees and passing budget reconciliation legislation, which can advance through the Senate under special procedures with a simple majority.
Mr. Trump also congratulated Senate Majority Leader John Thune "for another year of leadership, Minority though it may be!" Mr. Thune was re-elected as Republican leader on Tuesday, a week after the midterm elections in which Democrats swept the House and the Senate. Democrats are set to take the Senate majority in January.
Mr. Thune has said the votes are not there to end the legislative filibuster or to force a talking filibuster, and has said forcing a talking filibuster is off the table, even as some Republican senators push for a way forward. Senator Rick Scott of Florida has said Republicans have two months to get the bill done, and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has proposed requiring filibustering senators to keep speaking, with a vote called at a simple-majority threshold when they stop.
Democrats oppose the bill, saying non-citizen voting is already illegal and that the citizenship and photo ID requirements would make it harder for millions of eligible citizens to vote. Supporters point to polling showing broad public backing for voter identification, with a Rasmussen Reports survey in May finding that 63 percent of likely voters support the SAVE Act.
Mr. Trump had pressed lawmakers to pass the bill before the midterm elections, but it failed to advance before Election Day. He has repeatedly blamed the failure on the Senate's inaction, and warned Senate Republicans they would be "in big trouble" if they did not abolish the filibuster to pass it.