by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump said Sunday he will refuse to sign any additional legislation until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, escalating pressure on lawmakers to advance the voter-identification bill that has stalled in the Senate.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that election security must take priority before any other legislative business moves forward.
“I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION — GO FOR THE GOLD,” Trump wrote. He added that the measure must include voter ID requirements, proof of citizenship to vote, limits on mail-in ballots, and additional provisions addressing transgender policies and participation in women’s sports.
The SAVE Act would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and present photo identification when voting in person. The House passed the legislation in February largely along party lines, but it has since stalled in the Senate amid Democratic opposition and some Republican hesitation over procedural strategy.
The White House has also pushed senators to strengthen the bill by restricting absentee voting to specific circumstances such as military service, illness, disability, or travel.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the proposal Sunday during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” calling the measures widely supported by Americans.
“These are commonsense proposals and policies that are backed by the vast majority of our country,” Leavitt said. “These are winning issues for the American people.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, supports the bill but has not committed to Trump’s suggestion that Republicans deploy a “talking filibuster” to force Democrats to hold the floor if they attempt to block the measure.
Under that strategy, Democratic senators would have to continuously speak on the Senate floor to maintain a filibuster. Once debate ends, Republicans could potentially move the bill forward with a simple majority vote rather than the usual 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster.
Thune cautioned that the plan would require near-perfect unity among Republican senators.
“There’s not a unified Republican conference on that approach,” Thune said after a recent Senate GOP meeting. “You would have to keep 50 Republicans together on virtually every vote, and there just isn’t support for doing that at this point.”
GOP leaders have urged Congress to first resolve the ongoing stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which some lawmakers warn could impact national security operations.
Despite the hurdles, Trump has continued to frame the SAVE Act as a critical safeguard for American elections, arguing in a recent address to Congress that opponents resist the bill because they want to preserve vulnerabilities in the voting system.
Supporters say the legislation would strengthen election integrity by ensuring only U.S. citizens can register and vote, while critics argue it could create barriers for eligible voters who lack documentation.
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