Karoline Leavitt Says Trump’s Patience ‘Running Out’ On SAVE America Act, Thune Fires Back
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune fired back at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after she said President Donald Trump’s patience over the stalled Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act was wearing thin.
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President Donald Trump expressed rising frustration with the continued delay in the Senate over the legislation at a rally Wednesday in Georgia. The bill would require documented verification of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and require voters to provide a photo ID to vote in federal elections. Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked Leavitt about Trump’s apparent frustration with Thune on Thursday.
“Look, the president spoke about this directly yesterday. His patience is running out. He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess,” Leavitt said.
Thune responded to Leavitt’s words in a Capitol Hill press gaggle Thursday, saying the White House should take action instead of “pointing the finger,” according to Punchbowl congressional reporter Laura Weiss. “She or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right?” he told her.
“So instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats. And if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, get on the phone. Let’s get them to yes,” Thune added. (RELATED: No Path, No Votes: Inside the GOP Revolt Threatening Trump’s SAVE America Act)
Punchbowl senior congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio asked Thune what the White House’s motivation for blaming him was and whether he thought Trump was preparing to blame him for possible electoral losses.
“I wish I had a good answer for that,” the senator responded.
The House passed an approximately $95 billion budget reconciliation package which included provisions tied to the SAVE Act on Wednesday. The latest version of the package contains $10 billion to encourage states to implement parts of the SAVE America Act, according to Politico. The Senate has rejected the legislation twice this year.
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Thune has consistently expressed doubt that the Senate can successfully pass the package. After House Majority Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Congress would get the bill to Trump’s desk prior to the August recess, Thune told reporters that was “news to him” on July 16, Weiss reported.
“I have to be the realist,” Thune said on July 16, according to Punchbowl News. “I can’t make any guarantees over here.”
Trump suggested that the Senate was ineffectual at the Wednesday rally. “The Senate is a place you send things when you want them to die,” Trump told the crowd, Politico reported. “We’re not going to take this any longer, we’re not going to take it. I’m trying to be nice.”
Leavitt said Trump is certain the legislation is popular across the U.S. electorate. “He knows that’s what the American people want to see passed,” she said, citing “very loud applause” at Trump’s rally as evidence of public support for the president’s voting overhaul.
“The House did its job,” Leavitt concluded. “The Senate needs to do its job, too.”
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