Senate Majority Leader John Thune is aiming to take action on a GOP-only election bill next week — without pursuing a longshot procedural gambit advocated by some Republican hard-liners.
The decision, confirmed by four people granted anonymity to disclose private strategy, will bring a monthslong, increasingly vitriolic fight among Republicans to a head.
Elon Musk and prominent MAGA influencers have waged an intense social media pressure campaign against Thune and other members of his conference, seeking a way to skirt Democratic opposition to the SAVE America Act by forcing a “talking filibuster.”
Thune told reporters it is his intention to bring up the bill next week and later declined to discuss the process for considering it, saying that talks are ongoing. President Donald Trump reiterated a call to pass it Monday, saying it would “guarantee the midterms” for Republicans.
“Maybe it’s going to be the talking filibuster like the old days,” the president said. “But they have to get it done.”
But the four people said it will come up under the usual 60-vote threshold, meaning it will fail given the united Democratic opposition to the bill. Thune, they said, is expected to set up some amendment votes and a prolonged debate to allow senators to speak at length on the bill.
Subjecting the bill to the typical 60-vote legislative filibuster isn’t a surprising outcome, but it will mark the official rejection of an attempt by Utah Sen. Mike Lee and his allies to get Republicans to embrace the talking filibuster, which would force Democrats to hold the floor in order to block the bill.
Thune, however, said Tuesday there is not enough support within the Senate GOP to go down that road. Besides forcing days of debate on the underlying bill, Democrats could offer unlimited amendments and procedural gambits that could derail the Senate floor for months.
“The votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster,” Thune said Tuesday. “It’s just a reality.”
