Time Magazine is reporting that President Donald J Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are in a rapidly escalating standoff over a bill to remake how Americans vote and Trump's demand to end the Senate filibuster. It said Trump is fixated on passing the "SAVE America Act," a restrictive voting measure that has cleared the House but is considered dead on arrival in the Senate. Trump also insists the Senate should terminate the filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most legislation, to allow bills to pass with a simple 51-vote majority.
Time Magazine reported that Thune has made it clear the proposed legislation lacks the necessary votes in the Senate, and there is no appetite among Republicans to change the rules to ease its passage. Thune expressed frustration, stating, "Show me how this ends. What's the picture of victory at the end?"
The White House has summoned nearly two dozen Republican senators to pressure them directly to end the filibuster. According to a senior Republican aide, 15 of the 20 senators who met with White House staff firmly rejected the shift. Thune reiterated that Republicans are not getting rid of the legislative filibuster.
The publication noted that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently stated Trump's "patience is running out" regarding the SAVE America Act. However, Senate Republicans are generally more resistant to Trump's pressure than their House counterparts, partly due to private leadership elections and longer six-year terms.
Time Magazine said Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, assessed that the Senate "can stay here 'til the cows come home, and it's not going to change anything," highlighting the lack of votes for Trump's proposals. A memo circulated among the conservative Senate Republican Conference also advised members that staying in Washington for August would not make more votes appear and would detract from campaigning for November elections.
A few red-state Republicans, including Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, have publicly backed Trump's desire for the Senate to stay in session and vote on the legislation. However, Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota echoed the sentiment, stating, "We simply don’t have the votes."