WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is urging Senate Republicans to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass a voter ID bill named the SAVE America Act.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated there is not enough support in the Republican conference to lower the 60-vote threshold for most bills to a simple majority. "That must be a different form of math," Thune said regarding the push to change Senate rules.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act or SAVE America Act, is a proposed United States law requiring documented proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. It also requires a government-issued photo ID to vote in person, and a copy of an eligible photo ID both when requesting and submitting an absentee ballot. The bill would also add criminal penalties for any election official who registers an applicant who fails to provide documentary proof of citizenship.

Senator Mike Lee reversed his position on the filibuster and now supports abolishing it to pass the SAVE America Act. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has proposed the 'talking filibuster,' meaning Democrats would have to hold the floor to block the bill. He also said that Congress would need to pass the SAVE America Act by early August for it to be implemented before the midterm elections in November.

Other members of the GOP caucus have expressed opposition to changing the rules. "Under no circumstance will I support any effort to end or alter the filibuster, as any party that does so wouldn’t be guaranteed survival," U.S. Senator from Utah John Curtis wrote in an opinion piece. "Their agenda would be guaranteed death come the next majority."

U.S. Senator from Alaska Lisa Murkowski also voiced her dissent. "I’m going to make myself a T-shirt that says, ‘No, I’m not interested in blowing up the filibuster,’" Murkowski said.

Senator John Cornyn supported eliminating the filibuster in March to pass the elections bill. President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton, John Cornyn's primary opponent. Senator John Cornyn shared a link to Senator John Curtis's op-ed titled "I Won’t Change the Filibuster" on social media without comment.

The debate over the legislative filibuster involves the Senate Republican Conference, a formal organization of Republican U.S. senators. Historical precedents show shifting standards for the 60-vote threshold. Democrats under Majority Leader Harry Reid ended the 60-vote threshold for most presidential nominees in 2013.

Republicans ended the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees in 2017. In 2017, a bipartisan group of 61 senators sent a letter to then-Leader Mitch McConnell urging him to preserve the legislative filibuster. More than a dozen of the Republicans who signed the 2017 letter preserving the filibuster are still serving in the Senate.

Why It Matters

Eliminating the legislative filibuster would shift the Senate from a 60-vote threshold to a simple majority, fundamentally altering how federal laws are enacted. This move contrasts with previous rule changes that applied only to judicial and executive nominations rather than general legislation. Senators opposing the change argue that removing the requirement for extended debate risks long-term institutional stability and minority representation.