Free Republic

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is facing mounting backlash after effectively shutting down momentum to eliminate the filibuster—despite renewed pressure from Donald Trump and a growing number of Republicans who say the rule is crippling the party’s agenda. Behind closed doors this week, Thune urged Republicans to stop even talking about ending the filibuster, siding with moderates who want to preserve the 60 vote threshold that has repeatedly blocked conservative legislation. That position is now drawing fire from within his own party. Trump has been crystal clear: get rid of the filibuster and start passing laws. “I say, end the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following months of urging from President Trump and the American people to pass the SAVE Act and secure the integrity of U.S. elections, the party that promised to save America announced that it wasn't really interested in saving America anymore. Republican leaders in the Senate held a press conference on Tuesday to officially set aside any plan to move forward with the SAVE Act, citing a waning desire to fulfill countless campaign promises to save the country. "We know we campaigned on saving the country, but honestly, we don't really care," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune....

Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department asked two Senate committees to provide transcripts and records of contacts with former CIA Director John Brennan regarding the now-discredited Russia collusion allegations, signaling there was an active investigation into whether the former spy boss had misled or obstructed Congress. The letters gave a hard deadline of Feb. 23 for compliance. Two months later, the body run by Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not complied, slowing a key angle of a grand jury investigation based in Fort Pierce, Fla., into whether Obama and Biden-era government officials engaged in a conspiracy...

While the SAVE America Act continues to languish in the Senate under the supervision of Republican Leader John Thune, leaders and voters in several states have taken it upon themselves to secure their own elections from noncitizen voting. ...***FloridaGov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s own version of the SAVE Act into law last week. The law, which requires citizenship verification against REAL ID data when registering to vote, will go into effect in January of next year.***MississippiMississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also signed election integrity legislation into law last week. Named the Safeguard Honesty Integrity in Elections for Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act,...

Hello Senator Thune, At 3 AM on Friday, March 27th, in a near-empty chamber, you passed a bill by voice vote that excludes all funding for ICE and CBP. Let me repeat that: voice vote. No roll call. No record of who was there. No accountability. Just you, Barrasso, and a handful of senators shuffling paper in the dead of night while America slept. You could have demanded a recorded vote. You chose not to. You could have held the line for five more days until the House returned. You chose not to. You could have used the same procedural...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is facing a full-blown revolt from within his own party after floating a plan that critics say would quietly sabotage one of the most important election integrity bills in years. Conservative heavyweights Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna are sounding the alarm, accusing Senate leadership of trying to pull a fast one on the American people by pretending the SAVE America Act can pass through budget reconciliation. Their message is simple: it can’t — and they know it. Luna went nuclear, blasting the maneuver as a deliberate dodge to avoid forcing senators to...

WASHINGTON — Democrats keep making demands to fund the Department of Homeland Security — leaving in limbo thousands of federal workers who can’t afford to miss another paycheck on Friday. Senate Republicans accused Democrats of derailing a once-promising sign earlier this week of getting a deal done to end the partial shutdown of DHS with their latest proposal. Democrats unveiled their counteroffer Wednesday that GOP sources described as more demands, though Dems insisted they are just digging in on existing asks to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Nonetheless, the proposal threw a wrench in the talks — and a...

Dear Leader Thune, From 1776 to today, the total number of Americans is estimated to have been around 600 million. That’s about twice what the population is today. One wonders how many historical figures most Americans can name. There are, of course, the obvious ones like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and MLK, who are probably at the top of the list for most Americans. They were all known for having done great things. Most of the rest no one remembers. According to Grok “The average American can likely freely name 10–30 historical figures without much prompting—mostly...

The video (uploaded March 17, 2026) covers Republican efforts in the Senate to advance the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship (documentary evidence) for federal voter registration and photo ID to vote. It passed the House narrowly but faces Senate hurdles due to the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Key points discussed: Senate Majority Leader John Thune has started procedural moves to open debate. Republicans are pushing a prolonged "talking filibuster" to force Democrats to publicly defend their opposition on live TV, hoping to build pressure (inspired by the 1964 Civil Rights Act tactic). Alternative paths...

@BasedMikeLee After two years of preparation, the Senate will begin debating the SAVE America Act tomorrow Once we’re on this bill, we must stay on it until it’s passed into law Filibustering senators must be required to speak—no Zombie Filibusters here Get it done Pass it on

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to bring a Republican elections reform bill to the floor next week and kickstart a marathon debate that could potentially last days.

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. G. Michael Hopf – Those Who Remain Like most red blooded American men, I think about sex and the Roman Empire numerous times every day. In recent years, I’ve added the above quote. As I think back, the different elements of it were probably floating around in some amorphous, uncoordinated morass in the back of my mind for years, never bothering to coalesce. No doubt the reason they didn’t is that for most of my life, America was enjoying...

We need to wakeup Senator John Thune. The Save America Act is America's last Chance. If he could get it passed he would become a hero. This bill is common sense. If the democrats win again, Filibuster is gone. If he loves America, he needs to make this his number one passion. Any ideas to wakeup him up. I mean not to say how bad he is but how to change his mind. Maybe a march for Thune. Real ideas, please. Please pray that God would change his mind.

One of the reasons Thune, McConnell, etc. want to protect Cornyn and get him reelected is so they can pass the Senate Judiciary gavel to him. So they can continue to thwart conservatism and prevent conservatives in executive legal positions. Grassley has been thwarting US attorney nominees with the blue slip nonsense, Tillis stopped Ed Martin and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support Bondi. Cornyn gone from the committee opens up Mike Lee as chair. With both Cornyn and Tillis gone, and Grassley almost dead, Lindsay Graham will be the only pantywaist left. Cornyn MUST be defeated...

It’s time to employ the “nuclear option” on John Thune’s inbox. Last week, the Senate Republican Leader announced that he would NOT force Democrats to conduct a Talking Filibuster on the SAVE America Act. This means Thune will NOT try to pass election integrity legislation this year. Instead, he plans to debate the SAVE America Act under a rigged process that requires 60 votes, knowing he does not have them. This is not fighting. It’s gaslighting. It’s “failure theater.” Thune wants to create the illusion of Republicans all supporting voter ID without any chance of it actually passing. This is...

Everyone knows Democrats cheat in elections. Many illegal immigrants say "President Biden invited us to come to America. When we did he took care of us. He gave us places to live, food, cell phones, all the good things that are available to people in America. They offer to register us to vote when we get a driver's license. They help us get absentee ballots. They even fill out the ballots for us. We would be ungrateful if we didn't cast these votes for them." Leading Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE)...

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is intensifying pressure on Senate colleagues to advance the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed election integrity bill that would mandate proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to vote in federal elections.***"The longer we wait, the harder it'll get to pass the SAVE America Act," Lee wrote Sunday night on X. "Senate Republicans should rip off the Zombie Filibuster next week."***"By requiring Voter ID and proof-of-citizenship, the SAVE America Act will ensure that our federal elections are decided by U.S. citizens — and U.S. citizens alone."Under current Senate rules, most legislation cannot be voted...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said “there aren’t anywhere close to the votes” needed to change the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow Republican-sponsored legislation to reform voter registration requirements to pass the upper chamber with fewer than 60 votes. Thune on Tuesday dismissed the idea that Republicans might lower the procedural threshold for advancing the House-passed SAVE Act, which would require people to show passports or birth certificates as proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Thune said he supports passing federal law to require documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote, but he dismissed talk of changing...

Key Points Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday said he supported the SAVE America Act, but that there is not enough support in the Senate to change the filibuster and clear a path for the controversial bill. .The House is expected to vote this week on the legislation, which would require people to prove their citizenship to register to vote and show ID at the ballot box. .GOP hardliners have called for a return to the “standing filibuster,” which requires Congress members to be physically present and talking on the Senate floor to delay legislation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.Democrats say they will not vote for a DHS spending bill when funding runs out unless there are changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month. The Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep....