Thune denies Anna Paulina Luna deal to scrap filibuster for voter ID
Senate Majority Leader John Thune denied promising that Senate Republicans would weaken the filibuster too pass the GOP-backed SAVE Act, telling the Washington Examiner he has only agreed to discuss the proposal with his conference and hasn’t made any commitments. The piece notes that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has suggested a “talking filibuster,” but Thune says he’s focused on gauging consensus rather than guaranteeing a vote. He has pledged to protect the 60-vote requirement,and with many Republicans still backing the filibuster,a change seems unlikely amid Democratic opposition. the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting, has 49 Senate co-sponsors and has passed the House, but no date for a Senate floor vote has been set. Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, say they would block any bill containing the provision as long as the filibuster remains, highlighting ongoing GOP tensions over voting-rights reform and the influence of Trump’s push for change.
Thune denies filibuster deal with Anna Paulina Luna over GOP voting bill
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) denied promising that Senate Republicans would weaken the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, telling the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that he only agreed to speak with the rest of his conference about it.
“We haven’t made any commitments,” Thune said, rebuffing suggestions from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) that he was prepared to embrace the “talking filibuster,” which allows a simple majority vote after a marathon of floor speeches.
“I made a commitment to have a conversation about it with our members and try and find out where the consensus of the Republican conference is,” Thune added.
When he became majority leader last year, Thune vowed to protect the filibuster, which currently requires at least 60 senators to support bringing legislation to the Senate floor, and a wide cross-section of his conference still supports it.
For that reason, any meeting to discuss changes is unlikely to clear the way for passage of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voting. But a growing number of Republicans have expressed openness to workarounds such as the talking filibuster, owing to President Donald Trump’s long-standing crusade against it, and the concession helped clear the way for Luna to drop her opposition to a government funding bill now being considered in the House.
As for the SAVE Act, it has 49 Senate co-sponsors and the support of Thune, meaning it could theoretically pass with a bare majority vote. But Democrats have promised to block it so long as the filibuster remains in place, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday calling it “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
“Every single Senate Democrat would vote against any bill, any bill, that contains it,” Schumer said.
WHERE EVERY SENATE REPUBLICAN STANDS ON TRUMP’S CALL TO END THE FILIBUSTER
Thune told reporters on Tuesday that he still plans to schedule a vote on the SAVE Act, which has already passed the House, but has not yet settled on a date.
“Whenever we can work it in,” he said. “I mean, any legislative vehicle that crosses the floor could be a candidate for an amendment vote. But, yeah, we will have that vote. And exactly when, I can’t give you a hard answer on that yet.”
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