The war between House Republicans and their counterparts in the Senate over passing Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act shows no sign of ending as the House leadership has attempted to do the president’s bidding, resorting to threats.
According to MS NOW’s Mychael Schnell, one Republican senator whose vote would be needed was curt and dismissive of the idea that embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) thinks he will come out on top when the votes simply aren’t there.
Now Johnson has started attempting a Hail Mary: pushing pieces of the voting legislation through budget reconciliation, announcing plans for a federal fund that states could use to implement parts of the bill.
"The only way to get that to the president's desk, we've been shown many times, is to put it on a reconciliation bill, so that is in process," Johnson told MS NOW last week.
Senate Republicans aren't buying it.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) was blunt about the reconciliation fantasy: "It can't. If it could, we'd already be talking about it. Let's just stop playing games. Let's stop being dishonest."
When a reporter suggested the House might pressure the Senate by blocking other legislation, Tillis curtly replied, "That's super cute."
Even retiring Republicans in the House are done pretending Trump's strategy is workable.
"He wants to go it alone, his way to the highway, and it don't work," Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told reporters."He's trying to pound the square peg through the circle, and it doesn't work."
With only a handful of legislative weeks before midterms, some Republicans are quietly suggesting "an alternative" to actually accomplish something.
"The right thing to do, frankly, is you got voter ID, you can pass that, so take a win," Bacon suggested.
