{"id":2602195,"date":"2026-05-13T12:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:38:00","slug":"thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He&#8217;s All Out Of Ideas &#8211; The Federalist"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602195&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that Senate Majority Leader John Thune is effectively refusing to pass the SAVE America act,despite Republicans controlling both chambers and the bill already passing the House. Thune says they lack the votes to eliminate or bypass the filibuster, and notes he has supported the measure with extensive floor speeches.<\/p>\n<p>the SAVE America Act is described as tightening election access by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ap-admits-noncitizens-vote-in-u-s-elections-while-insisting-its-no-big-deal\/\" title=\"AP Acknowledges Noncitizens&#039; ...s in U.S. Elections with Minimal Concern\">requiring documentary proof<\/a> of citizenship for voter registration and requiring voter ID to vote (even though noncitizen voting is already illegal). The article claims the legislation is widely popular among Americans, including many Democrats, making Thune\u2019s opposition appear unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>It then challenges Thune\u2019s claim of powerlessness, citing Republican Rep.Chip Roy\u2019s argument that the Senate coudl force a vote through existing procedures without \u201cnuking\u201d the filibuster-by requiring Republicans to maintain quorum and adhere to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >strict debate\/amendment rules<\/a> so opposition time runs out and a majority vote can ultimately decide the bill. The author concludes by framing Thune\u2019s stance as \u201cdoing nothing\u201d rather than being constrained by Senate rules.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=https:\/\/x.com\/theblaze\/status\/2054272452306329746?s=46&#038;t=VL7JYC49nocdyMkQaKwyJg>  The Blaze\/ X <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He\u2019s All Out Of Ideas&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He\u2019s All Out Of Ideas&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He\u2019s All Out Of Ideas&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday \u201cWe don\u2019t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster\u201d as his defense for why he won\u2019t get the SAVE America Act passed. Lucky for Thune, he doesn\u2019t need to \u201cget rid of the filibuster\u201d to pass the SAVE America Act, but he already knows that \u2014 he just doesn\u2019t want to pass the legislation at all.<\/p>\n<p>The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act by requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot. While noncitizen voting is already illegal, the only thing standing between a noncitizen and our free and fair elections is a tiny square box on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/six-noncitizens-indicted-for-allegedly-voting\/\" title=\"Six Noncitizens Indicted For Allegedly Voting\">federal registration form requiring applicants<\/a> to attest under penalty of perjury they are a citizen.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3042094419\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The House has already passed the legislation, and it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/21\/majority-of-voters-want-the-save-america-act-passed-before-the-midterms-poll-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wildly popular<\/a> amongst Republicans, Democrats, and even Independents. Approximately \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/roy.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/rep-roys-save-america-act-hit-house-floor-next-week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">80 percent<\/a> of Americans (including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/06\/save-act-trump-congress-elections-voting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">significant number of Democrats<\/a>) \u2026 support citizenship and ID requirements,\u201d as pointed out by The Federalist\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/10\/rino-senators-could-sink-the-save-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Matt Kittle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the popularity and Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, Thune has already surrendered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. We had a very spirited debate,\u201d Thune said. \u201cI made more speeches on the floor in support of the SAVE Act than any other senator.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"LmS8ypwROsMQtVov1XhNInfrNYPtokC4u76qs6FX20uxzJZZg1dqzjA5WQ0Gaaw2xbkHG9YWHVjTie8l\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leader Thune says there&#39;s nothing more he can do to pass the Save America Act: &#8220;We don&#39;t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. We had a very spirited debate. I made more speeches on the floor in support of the SAVE Act than any other senator.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xBu11sFDDN\">pic.twitter.com\/xBu11sFDDN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theblaze\/status\/2054272452306329746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepLuna\/status\/2054346539611427230?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said in a post<\/a> on X: \u201cThis is completely false and he knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thune is not powerless, despite his insistence that he\u2019s done all he can do. Senate Republicans do <em>not<\/em> need to nuke the filibuster to get this legislation passed, as Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas,  <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/16\/exclusive-chip-roy-lays-out-how-senate-can-vote-on-save-act-without-nuking-filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained in a letter<\/a> first obtained by The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>Roy explained that so long as all Senate Republicans who have either sponsored or co-sponsored the bill show up and present a live quorum, Democrats would be forced under existing rules to talk non-stop to delay a vote at just 51 votes rather than reach the 60-threshold filibuster. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe commonly accepted 60-vote \u2018filibuster\u2019 threshold to \u2018shut off debate\u2019 is not the ONLY way to force a vote in the Senate \u2013 the majority can force opposing Senators to speak,\u201d Roy said.<\/p>\n<p>Roy said Thune could \u201cproceed to the SAVE America Act with a simple majority vote \u2026 as soon as he chooses. Under current practice, he would call it up, debate it for a while, and proceed to a 60-vote cloture vote to \u2018shut off debate.\u2019 It would fail, Republicans would shrug and say \u2018we tried, we need to elect more Republicans.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/26\/senate-gop-finds-time-to-pass-thom-tillis-dog-parade-but-not-the-save-act\/\">Senate GOP Finds Time To Pass Thom Tillis\u2019 Dog Parade But Not The SAVE Act<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But, \u201cIf Republicans stick together, and the minority exhaust their opportunities to speak in opposition or give up, a final vote on passage of the bill occurs automatically at a majority threshold.\u201d Roy added that in order for this method to work, Republicans would need to be \u201cdisciplined\u201d and table each amendment and enforce a \u201c2-speech rule\u201d in order to force the needed vote on the legislation. <\/p>\n<p><em>All of that done without nuking the filibuster.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>But as The Federalist co-founder and CEO Sean Davis <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/seanmdav\/status\/2054403142872117272?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said on X:<\/a> \u201cJohn Thune has tried nothing and he\u2019s all out of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/chip-roy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Chip Roy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/documentary-proof-of-citizenship\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">documentary proof of citizenship<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">John Thune<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/save-america-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SAVE America Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-id\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter ID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he can\u2019t pass the SAVE America Act because Republicans lack votes to end the filibuster-though others argue the bill could still be forced to a vote with current rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2602196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-11.13.18-AM-scaled-e1778685308699-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41647,4762,5894,34333,79612],"class_list":["post-2602195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-conservative-commentary","tag-legislation","tag-politics","tag-save-act","tag-thomas-thune"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-11.13.18-AM-scaled-e1778685308699-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602195"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602199,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602195\/revisions\/2602199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}