--- title: Trump Vows Not To Sign Any Bills Until SAVE America Act Is Passed description: The President has pushed for Congress to pass a strict voter ID law that would require proof of American citizenship to vote. The act centers on Trump’s groundless claims of rigged elections. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/trump-save-america-act-republicans-congress-voter-ID-senate-john-thune/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-10T08:01:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-19T07:44:55.128Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Vows Not To Sign Any Bills Until SAVE America Act Is Passed og:description: The President has pushed for Congress to pass a strict voter ID law that would require proof of American citizenship to vote. The act centers on Trump’s groundless claims of rigged elections. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/trump-save-america-act-republicans-congress-voter-ID-senate-john-thune/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91f1ae52faedc612/69afbc3afca7bc6d34bd4395/donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: donald-trump.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Vows Not To Sign Any Bills Until SAVE America Act Is Passed twitter:description: The President has pushed for Congress to pass a strict voter ID law that would require proof of American citizenship to vote. The act centers on Trump’s groundless claims of rigged elections. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91f1ae52faedc612/69afbc3afca7bc6d34bd4395/donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Vows Not To Sign Any Bills Into Law Until SAVE America Act Is Passed  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Mar 10, 2026 8:01 AM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump walks toward the White House upon his arrival in Washington, D.C., from Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump walks toward the White House upon his arrival in Washington, D.C., from Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2026.Celal Gunes—Anadolu/Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Mar 10, 2026 8:01 AM UTC President Donald Trump and his Administration may be facing headwinds —including [a war in Iran](https://time.com/7382631/iran-israel-us-war-explainer-trump-middle-east/) and [surging commodity prices](https://time.com/7383060/gas-prices-iran-war-oil/)—but he made it clear Monday that the “No. 1 priority” for the GOP-led Congress should be changing voter laws ahead of the upcoming midterms. Speaking to House Republicans in Florida, Trump pushed for passage of the SAVE America Act, doubling down on his threat that he would not sign any other bills until Congress passes the legislation. “I’m not going to sign anything until this is approved,” the President said, suggesting that passing the act will “guarantee the midterms,” and telling Republicans: “If you don’t get it, big trouble.” The measure, which mainly requires voters to provide proof of citizenship and photo identification to cast ballots in federal elections, passed along party lines in the House and is now up for debate in the Senate. The President’s renewed push ahead of the November midterms hinges on repeated, unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud. State and [federal officials](https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d), as well as [courts](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jan/08/joe-biden/joe-biden-right-more-60-trumps-election-lawsuits-l/), have rejected Trump’s claims. Trump repeated the accusations in his speech to Republicans on Monday, attacking Democrats for blocking the bill and groundlessly accusing the party of cheating. Republicans are already under pressure ahead of the midterm elections, as Trump enters into an [unpopular war with Iran](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-administration-iran-war-goals/) that has led to [surging gas prices](https://time.com/7383152/iran-israel-us-crude-oil-prices-outlook-markets-trump-hormuz/) and sharemarket turbulence. Republicans have a slim majority in the House, which further shrank after Rep. Kevin Kiley from California [announced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/09/kevin-kiley-house-independent/) he’s dropping his affiliation with the party. Trump had [posted on Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116193527873859174) Sunday that the act “must be done immediately” and “supersedes everything else.” He said he would not sign a “watered-down” version of the bill, asking House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, La.) to draw up a new version that includes his demands for sweeping restrictions on mail-in ballots, with exceptions for illness, disability, military, or travel. He is also pushing for new language in the act—unrelated to voting—banning transgender athletes in women’s sports and gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Since his return to the White House last year, Trump has tried to overhaul the American election system. He issued an [Executive Order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections/) that sought major changes to how states handle elections, some [parts](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/us/politics/trump-proof-citizenship-voter-registration.html) of which have been [blocked](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/us/politics/trump-court-ruling-elections.html) by courts. He’s pushed to [federalize voting](https://time.com/7366147/trump-nationalize-voting-federalize-elections-fraud-republicans/), and even [mused about canceling the upcoming midterms altogether](https://time.com/7343696/trump-floats-cancelling-2026-elections/), even when the White House has [insisted](https://time.com/7346834/trump-canceling-midterm-elections-joking-white-house/) the President was kidding. “We're going for the gold,” Trump said Monday. ## An uphill battle in the Senate The SAVE America Act faces slim odds in the Senate. To pass, it requires support from some Democrats—who have largely argued that the bill curbs voting access—to get 60 votes and overcome a filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D, N.Y.) has already said that the measure is “[dead on arrival](https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2024239525996736886)” in the chamber. Reacting to Trump’s threat that he would not sign any other bills unless the SAVE America Act is passed, Schumer on Monday [posted on X](https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2030666289602072866), “So be it: there will be total gridlock in the Senate.” He also criticized the President in a [separate post](https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2031136896701571414) for “preparing to hold our government hostage.” Even Republican leadership is unsure about the act’s fate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R, S.D.) has said that the 60-vote rule may be too much of a hurdle. “Having studied it and researched it pretty thoroughly, you have to show me how, in the end, it prevails and succeeds,” Thune [told reporters Monday](https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/2031094653336920397/photo/1). “Because I think what has been promised out there is that it would actually, in the end, get an outcome. And I find it very hard to see that based on actual past experience.” Thune and Republican Senators have been under increasing pressure from Trump and his conservative allies, including the SAVE America Act’s sponsor [Sen. Mike Lee (R, Utah)](https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2019115185710198845), to sidestep Democratic opposition through a “talking filibuster,” forcing Senate Democrats to hold the Senate floor to delay the bill, in a bid to tire them out. “They're going to have to go to the filibuster, and maybe it's going to be the talking filibuster,” Trump said in his speech. “But they have to get it done.” But Thune has [said](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/09/congress/thune-cool-on-talking-filibuster-00819479) that a talking filibuster “is much more complicated and risky than people are assuming at the moment.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/trump-save-america-act-republicans-congress-voter-ID-senate-john-thune/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/trump-save-america-act-republicans-congress-voter-ID-senate-john-thune/"},"headline":"Trump Vows Not To Sign Any Bills Into Law Until SAVE America Act Is Passed","datePublished":"2026-03-10T08:01:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-19T07:44:55.128Z","description":"The President has pushed for Congress to pass a strict voter ID law that would require proof of American citizenship to vote. 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