Thune Accused of Excluding the SAVE America Act in ‘Must Pass’ Bill

A major ally of President Donald Trump in the House of Representatives accused Senate Majority Leader John Thune of wanting to craft his own version of the National Defense Authorization Act to ensure it passes without the SAVE America Act attached.

“John Thune is planning on drafting his own version of the NDAA, actively working to try to block the SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on X Thursday.

She then called on House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx to file a manager’s amendment to attach the voter ID legislation if the alleged Senate version of the NDAA is sent over to the lower chamber. “This will now have to be done in conference,” Luna added. “A Manager’s Amendment from Chairwoman Foxx of Rules can force this in once the Senate sends us their version.”

Luna’s remarks come after the president called for the SAVE America Act to be attached to “must-pass bills” like the National Defense Authorization Act.

“We cannot, as a Country, put up with this any longer!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “Voter I.D., and Proof of Citizenship, must be approved, NOW. Crooked Mail-In Voting must be stopped!!! PUT IT ALL IN THE HOUSING AND FISA BILLS.”

Thune and Chairwoman Foxx did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.

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Attaching the SAVE America Act to a larger bill could jeopardize the Senate’s ability to pass it. Earlier this month, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told the Daily Signal that adding the act to any other “must-pass legislation” would put a death wish on it.

Regardless, Trump has continued to advocate for the passage of the SAVE America Act by any means necessary, including by abolishing the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold for cloture.

“THE SAVE AMERICA ACT’S non-passage is CRAZY, and a serious threat to any politician who votes against it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

“If the Dumocrats, or any RINO (or worse!) working with them, do not allow a positive Vote on SAVE AMERICA, [then] TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, and pass this, and every other Bill that true Republicans have ever dreamt of.”

Trump added, “The Dumocrats will TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, if and when they ever get the chance to do so, in their very first hour—And I will no longer be able to call them Dumocrats again!”

Echoing the president’s remarks, conservative members of the Senate have criticized Republican Senate leadership for their handling of the SAVE America Act. On Wednesday, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on X that the real reason Senate leadership does not want to eliminate the 60-vote threshold is because of “control.”

“Despite numerous calls from the president to eliminate the filibuster and pressure from a strong conservative wing of the Republican Senate, the 60-vote threshold remains because of pushback from longtime Republican senators and the Democratic minority,” Scott said.

“Here’s why people in both parties don’t want to use or lose the filibuster: control,” he continued.

“Hiding behind the 60-vote threshold and the cloture rule makes it easier to control the chamber, control debate, and control the schedule,” Scott added. “That way, there are no surprises, and everyone gets to leave town after lunch on Thursday without fail.”

“Open debate, open amendments, and a majority threshold make things less predictable. And that makes comfortable people uncomfortable,” Scott’s post concluded. “If we want to secure our elections and pass the rest of the America First agenda, we’re going to need to shake some things up.”

Thune Accused of Defiance

House Republican staffers, despite not being able to confirm if Senate leadership is preparing legislation that purposefully excludes the SAVE America Act, provided insight into how House Republicans are responding to the latest rift between the lower and upper chamber.

“Leader Thune has repeatedly defied the American people’s clear demand for the SAVE America Act,” a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Signal. “Instead of shrugging and saying he lacks the votes, he should attach it to every must-pass bill, including next week in the NDAA, and force Democrats into the hot seat.”

“Senate Republicans shouldn’t fight harder to block the SAVE America Act than Democrats do. Americans would rather see Thune fight and lose than fail to fight at all,” the source added.

A senior GOP House staffer told the Daily Signal that “of course Thune will disobey President Trump’s orders,” and that “Thune has had multiple opportunities to force a real vote on SAVE America and has consistently chosen the path of least resistance.”

“Thune wants to pass the Senate NDAA so that he can steamroll the House in conference,” the staffer continued. “He has zero intention of putting the SAVE America Act in the NDAA,” the staffer speculated.

The staffer also claimed Senate leadership is “hiding behind the excuses that he doesn’t have the votes, and he will continue undermining Trump as it relates to either invoking the real taking filibuster or blowing up the filibuster.”

The staffer then added that the House should use the “leverage” at their disposal and not send the legislation back up to the Senate without reattaching the SAVE America Act to the NDAA, calling the inaction surrounding the legislation “political suicide.”

“The base is watching, and so is the president,” the staffer concluded. “This is an 80/20 issue. It’s political suicide for Republicans not to pass the SAVE America Act.”