Trump Says He Will Sign No Other Legislation Until GOP’s Voter ID Bill Passes

President Trump says he will not sign any other legislation until the Republicans’ voter ID bill — dubbed the SAVE America Act — is sent to his desk. His demand that Senator John Thune enforce certain rules in order to pass it by simple majority could end up backfiring given the immense power Democrats would have to tie up the floor, potentially for months, if the GOP capitulates to the president’s wishes. Mr. Trump has been pushing senators for months to scrap the 60-vote threshold for legislation and nominations, though the majority of lawmakers are opposed to such a move. Many believe that keeping that supermajority requirement protects against major policy and statutory shifts which could come every few years depending on who is in power. Mr. Trump is pushing the bill anyway, calling on senators to enforce what some have dubbed the “talking filibuster” in order to pass the SAVE America Act. “It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday morning. Not only is he demanding that the current version of the SAVE America Act be brought to his desk immediately, but he is now asking for new restrictions on mail-in voting, a ban on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s leagues, and a ban on transgender surgeries for mirrors be included. “DO NOT FAIL!!!” the president exclaimed on Sunday. The SAVE America Act would require Americans to provide documents in order to prove their citizenship when registering to vote and require that voters present photo identification when they show up to the polls. Democrats have called the bill “Jim Crow 2.0,” saying that it would unnecessarily put new stress on elections administrators and potential voters. One Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski, came out against the bill earlier this year, arguing that her home state of Alaska would have an especially difficult time enforcing the law with many of her constituents living far from election administration offices, where they would have to provide proof of citizenship. “Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” she said in February. “Election Day is fast approaching. Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies,” she said. In order to set legislation up for success in the Senate, lawmakers typically have to go through one of two processes. The first is to get 60 senators on board for a successful vote on ending debate. The second, which is known as budget reconciliation, allows bills to be passed with a simple majority, though every piece of that legislation must deal primarily with federal spending and taxation. The SAVE America Act deals with neither, meaning it would not survive the reconciliation process. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Mike Lee, has been pushing colleagues to vote to enforce the “talking filibuster.” That would allow Republicans to pass the legislation with just 50 lawmakers on board, plus Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote. The danger of doing so, however, is that it would give Democrats immense power in controlling the Senate floor in the aftermath. Under this process, they would be able to call up an unlimited number of amendments on issues where they could likely get the four Republicans necessary in order to change the legislation. Issues like restricting the president’s tariff powers or adding in an extension of premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act exchanges would likely be added. If Democrats can successfully get those Republicans on board to allow debate to begin on those amendments, then each Democratic senator would have the right to hold the floor for as long as they are able. If a senator speaks for six, or 12, or 24 hours, another Democrat would then take their place, doing the same. Every senator has the right to speak twice on any one issue, for as long as they would like. With 47 Senate Democrats, debate on even one amendment could least for weeks. By the time such a process is completed, Democrats could essentially end the president’s legislative agenda by wielding their control over the floor for months.

Trump Says He Will Sign No Other Legislation Until GOP’s Voter ID Bill Passes

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