Thune says Senate Republicans lack votes to bypass filibuster for SAVE America Act

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that the votes currently are not there in the Senate to bypass the filibuster in order to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, placing a near-term ceiling on how quickly the measure can advance even with Republican control of the chamber.

Speaking as lawmakers weigh whether to change the procedures around advanced debate, Thune said the only path to enact the legislation would require altering the filibuster itself. In remarks reported by The Hill, Thune said, “The only way you can get … this done is to nuke the legislative filibuster,” and added that Republicans are “not” close to that threshold.

Thune’s comments underscore the practical effect of the Senate’s filibuster rule. In the Senate, ending debate on most legislation typically requires a supermajority vote to invoke cloture, which means a bill often cannot clear the floor if it lacks at least 60 votes. Without sufficient support to reach that level, major legislation can stall regardless of whether it has majority backing or the number of elected officials in the majority party.

The SAVE Act is a Senate measure with the title Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, a description that indicates the policy goal of tightening or clarifying eligibility standards related to voting. However, Thune’s statement focused less on the bill’s substantive provisions than on the procedural votes required to force a final consideration of the legislation.

By tying passage prospects to whether lawmakers can eliminate or bypass the filibuster, Thune effectively highlighted that internal vote math, rather than committee momentum or scheduling, will be the determining factor for whether the bill can reach the finish line this Congress.

Thune’s position also tees up an immediate procedural question for Senate leadership: whether to continue efforts to secure enough support for cloture on the SAVE Act under current rules, or to pursue broader changes to Senate debate practices that would be needed to move legislation without the same supermajority requirement.

As Thune indicated his conference lacks the votes now to remove the filibuster barrier, the next steps for supporters of the SAVE Act will likely depend on whether additional senators come into reach for cloture, or whether leadership decides the chamber will take up broader procedural reforms.

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