RIGHT SPEAK: John ‘Failure Is Not An Option’ Thune Just Failed Election Integrity; Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He’s All Out Of Ideas

John ‘Failure Is Not An Option’ Thune Just Failed Election Integrity

Let’s face it, the debate show on the SAVE America Act was the plan all along. And Thune was the star of the ‘deliberative’ farce.

Sure, the do-nothing Republican Senate leadership just put a bullet in the back of the head of election-integrity reform, but you’ll be glad to know they gave it the old college try. They had a “spirited debate.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pulled the curtain down on the failure theater of “marathon debate” on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The extremely popular cornerstones of the package would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in U.S. elections and photo ID to cast a ballot.

Leader Thune says there's nothing more he can do to pass the Save America Act: "We don't have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. We had a very spirited debate. I made more speeches on the floor in support of the SAVE Act than any other senator." pic.twitter.com/xBu11sFDDN
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 12, 2026

Let’s face it, the debate show was the plan all along. And the South Dakota Republican was the star of the “deliberative” farce.

“We called it up on the floor, March, I think, 17th. We were on it for several weeks and, uh, had a very spirited debate,” Thune said. “In fact, uh, I actually, I think, with the exception of maybe a couple of Republican senators, I made more speeches on the floor in support of the SAVE Act than almost any other senator.”

Not all heroes wear capes.

As Thune noted, the Senate took a vote on one of the key components of the SAVE America Act: requiring photo identification to vote. The upper house took another vote on the tack-on provision in the bill that would ban males from girls’ sports.

“And we put the Democrats on the record. Every single Democrat voted against it,” the majority leader said.

To borrow a line from my mid-1980s self, Well, no duh? Of course the Democrats all voted against the provisions. A) They’re insane. B) They want as little integrity in our elections as humanly possible. Election integrity costs them elections.

But Thune and crew want very frustrated voters to know, Hey, we tried. Our hands are tied.

No, you didn’t. And no, they’re really not --->READ MORE HERE

THE BLAZE/X

Thune Has Tried Nothing To Pass The SAVE Act And He’s All Out Of Ideas:

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday “We don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster” as his defense for why he won’t get the SAVE America Act passed. Lucky for Thune, he doesn’t need to “get rid of the filibuster” to pass the SAVE America Act, but he already knows that — he just doesn’t want to pass the legislation at all.

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act by requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot. While noncitizen voting is already illegal, the only thing standing between a noncitizen and our free and fair elections is a tiny square box on the federal registration form requiring applicants to attest under penalty of perjury they are a citizen.

The House has already passed the legislation, and it’s wildly popular amongst Republicans, Democrats, and even Independents. Approximately “80 percent of Americans (including a significant number of Democrats) … support citizenship and ID requirements,” as pointed out by The Federalist’s Matt Kittle.

Despite the popularity and Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, Thune has already surrendered.

“We don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. We had a very spirited debate,” Thune said. “I made more speeches on the floor in support of the SAVE Act than any other senator.”

But as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said in a post on X: “This is completely false and he knows it.”

Thune is not powerless, despite his insistence that he’s done all he can do. Senate Republicans do not need to nuke the filibuster to get this legislation passed, as Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, explained in a letter first obtained by The Federalist. --->READ MORE HERE

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