When Republicans managed to take control of both chambers of Congress when Donald Trump won a second term in November 2024, conservatives were giddy that the America First agenda they voted for would be easily implemented.But now, nearly two years later, many are disappointed not in the president but in a handful of so-called Republican lawmakers who are grappling with serious cases of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’One of them is retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has been a thorn in the side of Trump and his MAGA agenda practically from the beginning of the president’s current term.
Tillis is threatening to slow Senate action if lawmakers attempt to advance President Trump’s election integrity agenda through Congress before the midterm elections.
The North Carolina Republican, who has frequently clashed with Trump’s MAGA supporters, said Thursday he would use every procedural tool available to delay any effort to pass the SAVE America Act through the budget reconciliation process.
The legislation, formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, would require individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and present photo identification when casting a ballot.
Trump has made the measure a top legislative priority as Republicans push for stricter election laws ahead of November.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said before the president’s primetime address on Thursday that Trump would use the speech to advocate for stronger election security.
“I think all Americans — Democrat, Republican — should agree that we are the greatest country in the history of the world. We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world,” Leavitt said.
Recent polling indicate the SAVE America Act would be the equivalent of a political lay-up: 75-85 percent of voters on both sides of the aisle favor its election security provisions.
“And what the president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case, and we need to make some adjustments moving forward, including the SAVE America Act,” she added.
However, Tillis made it clear he won’t allow the measure to move forward.
“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said.
He argued that he alone has the foresight and knowledge to determine that the bill is “flawed” and anywah, there’s not enough time for states to implement its provisions this election cycle.
He hasn’t, however, explained why he’s been part of a small group of Republicans in the Senate who have been blocking the legislation for nearly a year – more than enough time to have had states implement the changes.
“I have been trying to explain for nearly a year that the SAVE Act, whether it’s the SAVE Act, the SAVE America Act, the new SAVE legislation that’s being proposed in the House, SAVE goes to Hollywood, SAVE goes to Hawaii, whatever the sequels are, all of them are fundamentally flawed and impossible to implement by this election,” Tillis claimed.
He said he would support using taxpayer-funded grants to help states implement voter ID but not the reconcilation process to get the SAVE America Act passed.
“Let’s get the government funded, let’s use reconciliation if we need to, but let’s not clog it up with another piece of policy airdropped by a member of this Senate or the White House that will undermine this bill, undermine what we need to get done before the election,” he added.
Tillis, meanwhile, didn’t address the fact that, grants or no grants, most Democrat-run states are opposed to implementing tougher voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements.