WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans aren't keen on using a talking filibuster to jam through President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, which doesn't have the votes to pass the chamber.
Trump and allies, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), have pushed Republicans to force a marathon talking filibuster to try to break Democratic resistance and pass the legislation, which has faced fierce criticism, as it would block large numbers of eligible citizens from voting to address a virtually nonexistent problem. The bill would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register or re‑register to vote in federal elections and impose a nationwide voter ID requirement with strict documentation rules.
Trump‑aligned conservatives want to force Democrats into an old‑school, around‑the‑clock talking filibuster if they want to block the bill, rather than letting them quietly sustain a 60‑vote blockade.
But in candid hallway remarks this week, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) dismissed the prospect of weaponizing the talking filibuster as logistically unworkable. She told reporters she'd "talk till the cows come home" if her conference demanded it, but conceded it would "chew up the rest of the year" and produce few results.
"The practicality of doing it just is not apparent to me," she said.
When asked about a Thursday vote in which the Senate again failed to secure enough votes to advance a Homeland Security funding bill, Lummis lamented, "Everything for the last month has been C-SPAN theater."
While she heard that Trump sent an offer to Democrats to fund DHS, her party hasn't seen it.
"They're not showing it to Republicans," she insisted.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said the Senate may drag out floor time next week.
Meanwhile, Democrats are pointing fingers back at Republicans over the shutdown of DHS, which includes TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) said Republicans blocked unanimous consent to fund those agencies on two separate occasions last week and this week, calling GOP claims that Democrats are obstructing the process "baloney."
"That's on them," he declared to Raw Story.
Lujan said Trump admitted "out loud" what the SAVE Act is really about.
"Republicans believe the SAVE Act wins them the midterms," he said. "This is not about fraud or this one thing or another. They wanna cheat and steal these elections in November because they see what's really happening.
Luján added that the bill would be "devastating" to Native American communities and tribal elders.
"It would throw them off the rolls. They take away their rights. It's just ridiculous," he said.