On Sunday, March 8, 2026, President Donald Trump doubled down on the demand to change voting requirements by refusing to sign any bills into law until the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act is approved by the Senate.
The president posted on Truth Social: “I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. 7 PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY.”
Pressure Tactics
On Sunday, Trump strongly urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to use a talking filibuster to pass the bill. The House approved the bill in February.
“Great Job by hard working Scott Pressler on Fox & Friends talking about using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster, to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS,” wrote the president.
He continued, “It must be done immediately. It supercedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE.”
A filibuster would force Democrats to talk continuously on the Senate floor to delay a vote on the measure. If the Democrats cede on the floor, Republicans could circumvent the 60-vote majority and pass the bill with 51 votes.
Thune has stated with skepticism that the filibuster would require unity among the Republican conference.
Thune ran for Senate Majority Leader under the commitment to uphold the 60-vote threshold and has not moved from this stance, despite pressure from the President.
House Republicans passed the measure three separate times over the years, while Democrats have pushed back, claiming it poses challenges for registered voters and could inhibit people from going to the polls.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reiterated that Democrats will not support the measure.
“If Trump is saying he won’t sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed, then so be it: there will be total gridlock in the Senate. Denate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances,” Schumer posted on X Sunday.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) sent a more dismissive message on X, stating, “Congress ain’t passing any bills anyways so,” recognizing the broader legislative dysfunction before Trump’s threat.
The SAVE America Act
Trump is pushing for sweeping changes to how U.S. citizens vote with the SAVE America Act, ahead of the midterm elections that could determine the fate of his presidential agenda.
The measure will require voters to show proof of citizenship and photo ID at the polls. It also further restricts mail-in voting and gender-affirming care, which are not in the measure already passed in the House.
Republicans have stated the measure is necessary to stop noncitizens from voting, which is both illegal and rare, according to Axios’ Jason Lalljee.
If the House and Senate advance a measure and Congress is still in session, any bill will become a law within 10 days without the President’s signature, but if Congress adjourns while the bill is awaiting a presidential signature, the measure dies.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill on whether the president will sign a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid the partial government shutdown.
The White House did respond to Axios’ request for clarification by directing the news media outlet to Trump’s social media post when asked if he could refuse to sign a DHS funding bill.
Sources:
The Hill: Trump says he won’t sign any bills into law until SAVE America Act passes
AXIOS: Trump says nothing else gets signed until Congress passes his voting bill
NPR: Trump says he won’t sign bills until Congress overhauls voting
Featured Image Courtesy of John Brighenti’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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