Senate Leader Thune Rejects Trump Pressure, Says SAVE Act Lacks Support

Published Jul 27, 09:08 PM UTC

Senate Majority Leader John Thune publicly dismissed President Donald Trump's demands to pass the SAVE America Act, stating the bill lacks sufficient support. Thune told reporters that Democrats will not vote for the legislation and that Republicans are unwilling to eliminate the legislative filibuster to force it through. He revealed that the White House had approached 20 Republican senators about scrapping the filibuster, but 15 refused. This marks the second time Thune has pushed back against White House pressure, following a previous exchange with press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Thune is instead pursuing a third budget reconciliation bill containing $10 billion for election-related reforms, though Republicans remain divided on the broader SAVE Act. The article also covers a separate incident at a Trump rally in Michigan where a heckler shouted 'pedophile protector' at the president, continuing a pattern of such disruptions linked to Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.