WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans may have found a realistic path to advance the SAVE America Act, offering a possible explanation for the breakthrough Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly mentioned to President Trump before his death.
Trump said Sunday on “Meet the Press” that Graham (R-SC) told him during their final phone call, “We’re all set for the SAVE America Act,” though the president did not explain what mechanism would allow the measure to move forward.
The legislation, a major Trump priority this year, would require proof of citizenship to vote and enact other election-related changes. Republicans have tried repeatedly to push it through the Senate, but Democratic filibusters have blocked those efforts.
“Perhaps what Lindsey was talking to the president about — I don’t know this for a fact — [was] whether or not there was an option for reconciliation, and there is a way in which I think you could [do that],” Thune (R-SD) told The Post in an interview.
Thune emphasized that Republicans are not “close” to having the votes needed to eliminate the filibuster, which effectively requires 60 votes to overcome. He also argued there is no realistic chance of winning enough Democratic support for the bill.
In previous fights, Republicans have used the budget reconciliation process to bypass the filibuster and pass legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That route, however, comes with strict procedural limits and generally requires provisions to have a meaningful effect on federal spending or revenue.
Many senators have been skeptical that reconciliation could be used for the SAVE America Act because the proposal is not primarily budget-focused. Still, Republicans were already preparing to pursue another reconciliation package aimed at increasing defense spending.
“It’s got to be principally budgetary, not policy-oriented. And if the budgetary impact is incidental to the policy impact, then you know it’s usually ruled a violation,” Thune said, referring to the Senate parliamentarian’s role in enforcing reconciliation rules. “I’m not denying there’s some level of subjectivity.”
“Figuring out a way to incentivize states to pass or to implement photo ID in their states through financial incentives is something that’s been talked about as a possible reconciliation option,” he added. “How you design or structure it matters a lot.”
As the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham was deeply involved with discussions regarding reconciliation.
A key reason why the SAVE America Act was considered necessary is that the Supreme Court shot down an attempt by Arizona in 2013 to impose a proof-of-citizenship requirement, concluding that states can’t change the national voter registration form by themselves.
The high court is set to take up another attempt by Arizona to implement a proof-of-citizenship requirement in its next term.
On Wednesday, the House Budget Committee rolled out a budget resolution for the measure, something that unlocks the reconciliation process once it has been adopted.
The $95 billion blueprint includes $60 billion for defense, $13 billion for intelligence, $12 billion in farm aid, and $10 billion in grants to advance elements of the SAVE America Act.
It has been dubbed reconciliation 3.0, but faces a very tricky path through Congress due to early skepticism from deficit hawks within the GOP.
“I want to get it done,” Thune said of the SAVE America Act.
