Thune Says ‘Votes Aren’t There’ for Trump-Backed Move to Pass SAVE Act

‘I’m the person who has to deliver sometimes the not-so-good news,’ Sen. John Thune said.
Thune Says ‘Votes Aren’t There’ for Trump-Backed Move to Pass SAVE Act
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks to reporters in Washington on March 10, 2026. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on March 10 that he’s counted votes in the upper chamber and concluded there aren’t enough to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by employing the so-called talking filibuster.

“We don’t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, nor to sustain one if we got on it. But that’s just a function of math, and there isn’t anything I can do about that,” Thune told reporters in Washington.

Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
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