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What Took Him So Long?… Senate Majority Leader John Thune Finally Signs On as Co-Sponsor of the SAVE Act After Mounting Pressure

February 12, 2026

Business professional delivering a speech at a conference, wearing glasses and a suit, with microphones in front of him.

Business professional delivering a speech at a conference, wearing glasses and a suit, with microphones in front of him.
“John Thune” by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to once again pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and voter ID in order to cast a ballot in federal elections.

The final vote tally came in at 218–213, with only one Democrat, Henry Cuellar (D-TX), breaking ranks to vote in favor. Every other Democrat voted against the measure, siding with their party leadership in opposition to stricter election integrity requirements.

But while House Republicans unified behind the bill, attention quickly shifted to the Senate, and to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

In recent remarks, Thune appeared to dismiss any serious effort to move the legislation forward under current Senate rules, stating:

“There aren’t anywhere close to the votes” to change the rule.

His comments were widely interpreted as a reference to the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) revealed that only 44 Republican senators had agreed to co-sponsor and vote in favor of the bill at that time, and notably, Thune’s name was not on the list.

That absence did not go unnoticed.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) publicly rebuked Thune ahead of Senate consideration, calling his position “very disturbing.”

Luna accused the Majority Leader of effectively siding with Chuck Schumer (D-NY) by refusing to even allow a vote on the Senate floor.

She didn’t mince words:

“If you’re going to depend on President Trump’s coattails to get elected to office, if you are going to say that you’re Republican, and then if you’re going to turn around and complain that I’m bullying you in the House for wanting to pass the SAVE Act — which is common-sense legislation, very low-hanging fruit, and the right thing to do — then maybe you should consider getting a different job.”

Then came the reversal.

Sen. Mike Lee announced on X that he had just spoken directly with Thune:

“I just spoke with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has asked me to add him as a cosponsor of the SAVE America Act. We’re now at 45. Baby steps to SAVE America.”

Here’s the current list:

  • Jim Banks (R-IN)
  • John Barrasso (R-WY)
  • Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
  • John Boozman (R-AR)
  • Katie Britt (R-AL)
  • Ted Budd (R-NC)
  • Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
  • John Cornyn (R-TX)
  • Tom Cotton (R-AR)
  • Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
  • Mike Crapo (R-ID)
  • Ted Cruz (R-TX)
  • John Curtis (R-UT)
  • Steve Daines (R-MT)
  • Joni Ernst (R-IA)
  • Deb Fischer (R-NE)
  • Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
  • Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
  • Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
  • Josh Hawley (R-MO)
  • John Hoeven (R-ND)
  • Jon Husted (R-OH)
  • Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
  • Ron Johnson (R-WI)
  • Jim Justice (R-WV)
  • John Kennedy (R-LA)
  • James Lankford (R-OK)
  • Mike Lee (R-UT) (Sponsor)
  • Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
  • Roger Marshall (R-KS)
  • Dave McCormick (R-PA)
  • Ashley Moody (R-FL)
  • Jerry Moran (R-KS)
  • Bernie Moreno (R-OH)
  • Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
  • Rand Paul (R-KY)
  • Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
  • Mike Rounds (R-SD)
  • Rick Scott (R-FL)
  • Jim Risch (R-ID)
  • Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
  • Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
  • Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
  • Todd Young (R-IN)
  • John Thune (R-SD)

The post What Took Him So Long?… Senate Majority Leader John Thune Finally Signs On as Co-Sponsor of the SAVE Act After Mounting Pressure appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.