US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to withhold his signature on any other legislation until Congress passes a Republican-backed voting bill, the latest escalation in his push to impose stricter requirements on voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump set a tough mark for the SAVE America Act, which passed the Republican-led House of Representatives in February but faces an uphill battle in the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans. The measure would need at least 60 votes in the Senate to overcome the chamber’s filibuster rules, meaning it needs Democratic support, which currently appears unlikely.
“I, as president, will not sign any more legislation until this is passed,” wrote Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Doral, Florida, golf club.
SAVE the bill for America
The SAVE America bill would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and impose criminal penalties on election officials who register anyone without the required documentation. Trump’s warning comes days after he threatened to bypass Congress entirely by issuing an executive order to unilaterally impose voter ID requirements if lawmakers do not act. He has previously tried to impose similar voter eligibility rules through executive action. A federal judge in 2025 blocked parts of an executive order that sought to require proof of citizenship for voter registration. The shifting tactics, floating executive actions one week and promising to block unrelated legislation the next, reflect Trump’s efforts to push Congress to adopt his preferred election rules.
It was unclear whether Trump would follow through on his latest pledge not to sign additional legislation. If lawmakers pass a bill and he takes no action during a 10-day session of Congress, the measure becomes law without his signature. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, has said he supports the voter eligibility bill, but has resisted calls from Trump and some conservative activists to weaken Senate rules to pass it, saying there isn’t enough support in the Republican conference to change the chamber’s 60-vote limit.
Democratic Party officials say the legislation is an attempt to suppress the vote and undermine their electoral chances at a time when independent analysts are favored to take control of the House.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that Democrats will not support the bill. He called the legislation “Jim Crow 2.0”, a reference to racial segregation laws in the US that restricted black voting rights, and said it would “disenfranchise tens of millions of people”.
If Trump refuses to sign any other legislation until it passes, Schumer said, “There will be total chaos in the Senate.”
Republicans have been rattled by a string of Democratic victories in special elections, and Trump’s final two years in office could be complicated if Democrats hold a majority in the House.
