Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that the Senate will try to pass an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) warrantless surveillance power without the SAVE America Act attached.
The voter identification measure is a high priority of President Donald J. Trump as the clock ticks down toward the midterms, and Thune’s foot-dragging on getting it through the upper chamber despite a GOP majority has infuriated MAGA, with Trump declaring that he would not back an extension of Section 702 if it didn’t include the SAVE America Act.
“A few Dumocrats are against FISA, with or without Bill Pulte going to DNI, as Acting. What kind of a deal is that. Besides, I’m against FISA if it doesn’t come with The Save America Act (Full version!) firmly attached to it. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in a Sunday post to Truth Social.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 14, 2026
On his way into the Capitol on Monday, the top Senate Republican told a Punchbowl News reporter that attaching the SAVE America Act to FISA would be “unrealistic” in a remark that is unlikely to sit well with Trump and others who are stressing the importance of the legislation to protect the integrity of elections, which has overwhelming public support.
THUNE tells reporters he’s “waiting to see” the details of the Iran MOU & expects senators to get briefed at some point. No details on that yet
Thune also says adding SAVE Act to FISA, as Trump is now calling for, is “unrealistic”
(Trump has previously said he wouldn’t sign any…
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) June 15, 2026
“We will try and move 702 as soon as we feel like we have the votes to do it,” Thune also told reporters on Monday, according to The Hill.
He was also guardedly optimistic that confirming U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton as the permanent director of national intelligence would be enough for some Democrats to drop their opposition to Section 702 reauthorization as a protest to Trump’s pick of the controversial Bill Pulte as acting DNI to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who is leaving this month due to her husband’s health issues.
“That’s probably all contingent on Clayton getting confirmed and in position,” Thune said.
Some GOP senators are grumbling about the SAVE America Act, which remains stalled in the Senate.
“It just keeps coming back,” one unnamed Republican lawmaker told NOTUS. “It’s like the ‘Night of the Living Dead.’”
One GOP senator, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has been advocating for the SAVE America Act, suggested forcing lawmakers to work weekends if that’s what it takes to get the job done.
Sometimes the best legislative strategy is the also simplest:
(1) Put the SAVE America Act on the Senate floor,
(2) Keep debating it until it passes, and
(3) Even if that requires the Senate remain on the bill for weeks, eating into weekends and scheduled recesses as necessary https://t.co/A7062gEI0c
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 15, 2026
“President Trump is dead right — attach the SAVE America Act to FISA. We have limited shots left to make this count … If the Senate says it can’t be done, that’s garbage. Drop the laziness and get it done. This isn’t a question of possibility — it’s a question of political will,” one House source said of the voter identification bill, according to the Daily Mail.
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