Part of the answer lies with Senate Majority Leader John Thune who seems unmoved by pressure from some in the House — and from President Donald Trump — to act quickly on the House’s third Budget Reconciliation measure which it passed Wednesday.
Reconciliation is the measure that allows legislation to pass by a simple majority vote, a bypass of the filibuster by Senate Democrats, which has for so long stalled efforts to mandate voting safeguards like proof of citizenship to register then photo ID at the ballot box. The SAVE Act — Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, also known as the SAVE America Act — would require these things.
Thune (R-South Dakota) told reporters this week that an agreement for government funding — the current one expires Sept. 30 — is his first priority, not the SAVE Act.
The Senate begins a five-week break at the close of business on Aug. 7.
White House Press Sec. Karolina Leavitt this week told reporters that Trump’s “patience is running out” over the Senate’s slow approach to the SAVE Act.
Thune responded by telling reporters, “Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes,” Axios reported. This continues his SAVE Act message from the beginning: The numbers aren’t there.
Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats and need 50 Senate votes to pass legislation. Vice President J.D. Vance in that scenario could cast the tie-breaking 51st vote.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) in an appearance on “Washington Watch” Thursday remained hopeful for Senate action.
“We expect the Senate to get right on that and be able to pass that under the provisions of reconciliation, which means we don’t need any of these Democrats that don't want election integrity, and America can start having some trust in our electoral process,” he told show host Tony Perkins.
The House passed the original SAVE Act in April of 2025. An updated version of the legislation, which became known as the SAVE America Act, was passed by the House in February.
The measure passed Wednesday by a 216-214 vote is a $95 billion reconciliation package. It includes $60 billion for the Pentagon and ongoing operations in Iran plus $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by tariffs. It does not include the SAVE Act by name but includes its key components such as proof-of-citizenship to register and photo ID to cast a ballot.
The magic 50 Senate votes would require Thune to win over some Republicans who have concerns about the overall spending level, whether enough spending reductions offset new expenditures or with the idea of using the reconciliation process for the SAVE Act.
Last week, before the House passed the bill, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said he’ll be a firm “no” vote if it reaches the Senate floor.
"If we keep on layering layers of complexity, like another bogus attempt at the SAVE Act, then we're never gonna get it done," he said.
It’s important to get senators on the record as opposing election safeguards, Perry said, even if the vote comes under the reconciliation process.
“We respect the leader, John Thune, but he tells us they don’t have the votes. We don’t want to be told they don’t have the votes. We want to be shown they don’t have the votes. Get it in front of these senators and force them to vote on it. We want to see where they stand,” he said.
