Thune says he'll bring SAVE Act to Senate floor next week

Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

In a major reversal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said he would bring the SAVE Act to the floor for a vote next week. Earlier in the week, Thune refused to put the bill up for a vote, saying there weren't 60 votes in the Senate needed to pass the bill and send it to President Trump's desk for his signature. 

In his remarks announcing his intentions to force a vote on the SAVE Act, Thune repeatedly invoked the ideas of "common sense," "reason" and the overwhelming public support for voter ID laws. “It is a package of common sense policies, the kind of common sense policies that should get an automatic 'yes' vote from literally every member of this body,” Thune said. He also criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for railing against the bill and branding it as "Jim Crowe 2.0."

Republicans enjoy a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and Democrats have been vehemently opposing the bill, which was passed last month by the House of Representatives. However, numerous Republican senators, like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who on Thursday told a reporter on Capitol Hill that she supported citizenship voting, but didn't support the bill in its current form. 

Thune's decision comes a day after Trump openly questioned his ability to lead the Senate and challenged him to "be a leader." Trump described the SAVE Act as "the most popular bill I've ever seen put before Congress," and has escalated pressure in recent days on Thune to bring the measure up for a vote. 

“I can’t guarantee an outcome on this legislation," Thune said Thursday. "But I can guarantee that we are going to put Democrats on the record,” Thune said. Below, watch Thune's remarks about bringing the SAVE Act to the Senate floor.