Washington Examiner White House reporter Christian Datoc said President Donald Trump couldn’t be “pushing any harder” for the SAVE America Act, underscoring that Republicans have yet to deliver the votes needed to send the legislation to his desk.“I’m not so sure he could be pushing any harder than he already is,” Datoc said on C-Span’s Washington Journal Thursday. “The president has made it clear he is dead-set on passing the SAVE America Act.”The act would require stronger documentation that people registering to vote prove they are U.S. citizens. The president has been pushing for the SAVE America Act to pass, even refusing to sign the historic 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in protest, letting it become law without his signature.
Datoc noted that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Democrats should be held responsible for not passing the SAVE America Act.
Thune currently lacks the 60 votes needed to advance the bill. He has also been encouraged to change Senate rules to bypass the filibuster.“The folks that have consistently blocked, voted against it are all the Democrats,” Thune said Wednesday. “To me, the issue here is the Democrats, and we ought to be going after them for opposing something that’s popular across this country, not just with Republicans, but with Democrats as well.”HOUSE GOP’S DISTRUST OF SENATE CLOUDS $95 BILLION RECONCILIATION EFFORTDatoc pushed back on Thune’s claim that Democrats should be blamed for the SAVE America Act’s failure, arguing the responsibility falls on Republicans to find a path forward.“He’s actually in the wrong here,” Datoc said. “This is a partisan bill. This is something that President Trump wants, even against some of the wishes of the Republican Caucus. The onus should be on the Republicans to reach across the aisle and try and broker some type of accord with Democrats.”He noted that since Democrats don’t want to give Trump a win, “this is up to Leader Thune to get this bill across the finish line.”Washington Journal callers identified a potential barrier posed by the SAVE America Act for married women whose current last name differs from the one listed on their birth certificate.Datoc said he also asked architects of the bill and outside activist groups about the same issue.
