This week on The Hill: Thune, Trump head for showdown on SAVE America Act

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act is headed to the Senate floor for a procedural vote this week, setting up a potential showdown between President Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

For weeks, Trump has pushed for the passage of the bill, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in elections and the presentation of an ID to cast a ballot. He has said he will not sign any legislation until the Senate approves the measure.

But the bill would need some Democratic support to overcome a filibuster and advance in the upper chamber. And no member of the minority party is expected to back it.

Trump and many conservative lawmakers have pushed Thune to sidestep Democratic opposition by returning to a “talking filibuster,” which would force Democrats to speak continuously on the Senate floor to delay the bill. Once they cede the floor, Republicans could pass the measure with 51 votes. 

But Thune has opted against using such a procedure, which he has previously said is “much more complicated and risky than people are assuming at the moment.”

Thune said in remarks on the Senate floor last week that he “can’t guarantee an outcome on this legislation.”

“But I can guarantee that we are going to put Democrats on the record,” he added.

What else you can expect this week:

Senate sends housing affordability bill to House: The House will begin considering a sweeping housing package passed by the Senate last week, dubbed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

DHS shutdown continues: The debate over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue, as the partial government shutdown stretches for over a month and the military operation against Iran escalates. 

Mullin to get confirmation hearing: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who was nominated by Trump to serve as the new Homeland Security secretary, is set to appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this Wednesday.

Thune faces pressure to advance the SAVE America Act

Thune is fielding pressure from the president and a handful of House Republicans to get the SAVE America Act across the finish line.

Trump said at the House Republican retreat in Doral, Florida, last week that the passage of the bill will “guarantee the midterms.”

“The people are demanding it. Every time I go out, save America! Save America! We want the SAVE America Act! That’s all they talk about. They don’t talk about housing. They don’t talk about anything. That’s what they talk about. And if you send it up there, you will win the midterms and you will win every election for a long time,” Trump said. 

“I think the Senate has to approve it,” Trump later added in his remarks. “I really do. And they’re going to have to go the filibuster, and maybe it’s going to be the talking filibuster … but they have to get it done.”

Some House Republicans, meanwhile, have threatened to oppose all Senate-passed legislation until the SAVE America Act passes the Senate. 

“The Senate will no longer have legislation passed until the SAVE America Act is passed and on the President’s desk,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote on the social platform X.

Senate Democrats have been steadfast in their opposition to the bill, arguing that it would only create barriers to voting. Even Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a maverick who has at times voted across the aisle for GOP legislation, told CBS’s “The Takeout with Major Garrett” that he wouldn’t support the bill “in its current state.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Senate Democrats “will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances.”

House Republicans oppose Senate housing bill 

The House will begin considering a sweeping bipartisan housing package aimed at making housing more affordable for Americans. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill, 89-10, last week.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, spearheaded by Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), would approve incentives to build new homes, launch a program to allow abandoned buildings to become housing development and OK new grants to overhaul homes, among other things.

The legislation combines provisions from the Housing for the 21st Century Act, which overwhelmingly passed the House last month, and the ROAD to Housing Act, which passed the Senate Banking Committee unanimously last year. 

But the bill has already garnered opposition from a handful of House Republicans. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), for instance, railed against a provision in the bill that would ban central bank digital currency through 2030. 

“This must be CHANGED to a permanent ban. CBDC’s allow for total government control.  This will probably get nasty so I am telling everyone now. We would appreciate your air support on this,” Luna wrote. 

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) also wrote on X that, “This bill should NOT come to the House floor! The Senate gutted all of our provisions and the Trump agenda.”

House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) said in a statement that “it is critical we get the details right and mitigate some of the concerns raised by House members with the Senate bill.”

DHS shutdown negotiations at a stalemate 

The White House and Senate Democrats remain at an impasse over a deal to end the partial government shutdown, which has now stretched for over a month. 

Senate Democrats last week defeated a motion to proceed to a House-passed bill that would fund DHS. Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to advance the funding bill. 

It marked the fourth time since Feb. 12 that Democrats have voted to block Homeland Security funding legislation. Democrats have been demanding that the White House reform their immigration enforcement tactics after agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

“We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE. We know very simply that Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks,” Schumer said before the vote. 

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers also missed their first full paychecks las week on Friday as efforts to negotiate a bipartisan compromise have largely stalled.

The debate over funding DHS will likely continue this week, as the impact of the shutdown grows and the military operation against Iran escalates.

Mullin confirmation hearing set for this week 

Mullin is set to appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to serve as the next Homeland Security secretary. 

Trump nominated Mullin to serve in the role at the beginning of March after firing Kristi Noem. 

Noem’s firing came after months of speculation about whether she might be removed from her post as the administration faced blowback over its immigration crackdown, particularly in Minneapolis where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens. But that scrutiny escalated after back-to-back appearances before Congress in which she received pushback from GOP voices questioning her job performance.

Mullin had quickly received an outpouring of support from Republicans after being tapped for the role. But he still faces an uphill climb in winning over Democrats. 

Schumer wrote on X that he would not support Mullin as Noem’s replacement.

“The rot in DHS is deep, much deeper than any individual,” he added. “It’s a question of policy not personnel. The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in.”

Fetterman, however, said that he would support Mullin. He voted to confirm Noem last year in January, along with fellow Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H).

Alexander Bolton, Allen Weaver, and Rebecca Beitsch contributed to this report. 

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