Trump's SAVE Act gets lifeline as Thune reveals possible path around Democratic filibuster block

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority, the SAVE America Act, which aims to make proof of citizenship mandatory to register to vote, got a major boost as Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested on Thursday, July 16, that Republicans may finally have a viable strategy to advance it.

Last week, Trump refused to sign the housing bill in protest over the Senate's failure to pass his SAVE Act. However, the housing bill became a law without Trump’s signature as the President did not exercise his veto power.

John Thune floats reconciliation as option to pass SAVE Act

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, in a conversation with the New York Post, revealed that Republicans might have come up with the reconciliation option as their strategy to pass the SAVE America Act.

Thune also speculated on the breakthrough Sen Lindsey Graham told President Trump about before his death.

Republicans have repeatedly tried to jam the SAVE America Act, but have consistently failed due to a Democratic filibuster. The SAVE America Act is Trump’s top legislative priority this year.

“Perhaps what Lindsey was talking to the president about — I don’t know this for a fact — [was] whether or not there was an option for reconciliation, and there is a way in which I think you could [do that],” Thune said to The Post.

Republicans lack votes to overcome filibuster

Thune maintained that Republicans don’t even have “close” to the votes required to overcome a filibuster, which needs 60 votes. And he contended there was no way of getting the Democrats on board.

Budget reconciliation allows certain bills to pass with a simple majority (51 votes) instead of 60. Republicans have used that process to overcome the filibuster to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

However, reconciliation is only meant for measures that directly affect federal spending, revenues, or the debt. It cannot simply be used for any policy Republicans want.

Since Republicans are already planning another reconciliation package for defense spending, Thune is suggesting there may be a way to attach budget-related parts of the SAVE America Act to that package—if Senate rules allow it.

“It’s got to be principally budgetary, not policy-oriented. And if the budgetary impact is incidental to the policy impact, then you know it’s usually ruled a violation,” Thune said, alluding to the Senate Parliamentarian. “I’m not denying there’s some level of subjectivity.”

Financial incentives could drive state photo ID

“Figuring out a way to incentivize states to pass or to implement photo ID in their states through financial incentives is something that’s been talked about as a possible reconciliation option,” he added. “How you design or structure it matters a lot.”

As the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham was deeply involved in discussions regarding reconciliation.