U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a round table on collegiate sports in the White House in Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
President Donald Trump threatened to withhold his signature from any bill that reaches his desk until Congress passes a controversial election measure known as the SAVE America Act, which would make it much harder for many Americans to vote.
“It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed.”
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote. The measure has been the subject of an immense pressure campaign from right-wing commentators and congressional Republicans.
The House passed the bill last month, but it is short of the 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 vote majority in the upper chamber, and Democrats have vowed to oppose it. That has led some Republicans to call for subverting the filibuster, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D, has so far resisted.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the threat of gridlock does not change Democrats’ stance.
“If Trump is saying he won’t sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed, then so be it: there will be total gridlock in the Senate,” he said on X. “Senate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances.”
Trump has also called for Congress to deliver him an enhanced version of the bill, “NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION,” he wrote.
“GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!!” Trump added.
Trump’s demands would require the House to pass another iteration of the SAVE America Act — it has already passed two versions of the measure during this Congress. That’s anything but assured when Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., only has what is effectively a one-vote majority in the House.
Trump’s threatened signature blockade also imperils other must-pass legislation, like a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the fiscal year. The department is currently shut down after funding lapsed last month. Democrats are demanding new restrictions on Trump’s deportation efforts after two American citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents.
A signature blockade may have mixed results. Trump can veto any bills sent to him and send them back to Congress, which can override his veto with a two-thirds majority in each chamber. If Congress adjourns, the president also can let the bill sit for 10 days, and it will not become law — a procedure known as a “pocket veto.”
But an unsigned bill that sits for 10 days while Congress is in session automatically becomes law, meaning Congress could overcome a signature blockade by staying in session.
The clock is also ticking for Republicans facing a tough midterm election in November, which could potentially see Democrats winning back the majority in one or both chambers. The window for pushing through any of the GOP’s or Trump’s legislative wish list is already narrow, and polls indicate that voters are souring on Trump and his economy ahead of the elections.
An NBC News poll released Sunday found that 62% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living — the top issues for voters in that poll. Democrats held a six-point lead in the generic congressional ballot in the survey.
