President Donald Trump warned House Republicans that passing a strict voter eligibility bill could lock in GOP victories for years and demanded Congress send it to his desk.
Trump delivered the message during remarks at the House GOP’s annual issues conference in Florida, where he framed the legislation as essential for Republican success in the upcoming midterm elections.
“It will guarantee the midterms. If you don’t get it, big trouble,” Trump told lawmakers gathered at the event.
The legislation at the center of the push is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly called the SAVE America Act.
🚨 BREAKING: John Thune says support for the SAVE America Act is a “PAID INFLUENCER” campaign
That is TOTAL BULLSHlT, and even PRESIDENT TRUMP called it out today
“The people are DEMANDING it! Every time I go out, [people say] ‘The SAVE America Act, sir! We want the SAVE… pic.twitter.com/5OseJR6uai
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 10, 2026
The measure would require Americans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and present identification when casting a ballot in federal elections.
House Republicans already approved the bill earlier this year. The chamber passed the legislation in February on a narrow 218 to 213 vote, sending it to the Senate where it has stalled.
Democrats have opposed the measure and warned it would create new barriers for voters who lack documents such as passports, REAL ID cards or birth certificates.
Because of the Senate filibuster rules, the bill would require support from at least some Democrats to advance.
Trump urged House Republicans not to settle for a diluted version of the legislation and pressed them to expand the proposal.
“If you could, if I could ask the people in this room, to go for the gold. We are going for the gold,” Trump told the audience.
“We’re not going for the bronze. We’re not going to sign a watered-down version like it’s been sent up there. Let’s go for the gold, and let’s just not accept anything else.”
Trump also signaled he could block unrelated legislation until Congress passes the bill.
“I will tell you what, I’m willing to just sort of say I’m not going to sign anything until this is approved,” Trump added.
The president repeated the warning days earlier on social media.
“I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else.”
Trump described the proposal as a political advantage for Republicans if it becomes law before the midterm elections.
“The people are demanding it. Every time I go out, save America! Save America! We want the SAVE America Act!” Trump told lawmakers.
🚨 VENEZUELAN DICTATOR NICOLAS MADURO IN U.S. CUSTODY 🚨 Do you AGREE Trump made America STRONG again??? ➡️➡️➡️ TAKE THE FREEDOM POLL NOW and stand with President Trump!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
“That’s all they talk about. They don’t talk about housing. They don’t talk about anything. That’s what they talk about.”
“And if you send it up there, you will win the midterms and you will win every election for a long time,” he added.
Trump also pushed lawmakers to expand the bill with several additional election and cultural policy provisions.
Those additions would include limits on mail voting and restrictions on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Trump laid out the priorities during his remarks to Republican lawmakers.
“No transgender mutilation surgery for our children,” Trump told the crowd.
“Voter ID, citizenship [verification], mail-in ballots, we don’t want men playing in women’s sports.”
“It’s the best of Trump. Those are the best of Trump. This is the number one priority, it should be, for the House,” he continued.
Trump argued that enacting those policies would help Republicans maintain their governing majority in Washington.
“I’ve never been more confident that if we keep these promises and deliver on this popular agenda, the American people will stand with us in overwhelming numbers, just as they did in 2024,” Trump stated.
The president also pushed Senate Republicans to take aggressive steps to move the bill through the upper chamber.
Trump suggested that GOP lawmakers revive the so called talking filibuster.
That procedural tactic would force Democrats to hold the Senate floor continuously if they attempt to block the legislation.
Once Democrats relinquish the floor, Republicans could move the bill forward with a simple majority vote.
“I think the Senate has to approve it,” Trump told reporters.
“I really do. And they’re going to have to go the filibuster, and maybe it’s going to be the talking filibuster … but they have to get it done.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has warned that forcing such a showdown could complicate other legislative priorities.
Thune told reporters that using a talking filibuster would be more complicated than some supporters believe.
The South Dakota Republican argued that forcing extended floor fights could disrupt negotiations on government funding and bipartisan housing legislation.
“It’s much more complicated and risky than people are assuming at the moment,” Thune told reporters.
The battle over the legislation has also spilled into a closely watched Senate race in Texas.
Trump has delayed endorsing a candidate in the state’s Republican Senate primary runoff.
The contest now pits incumbent Sen. John Cornyn against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
People close to the White House told Politico that Trump had been ready to endorse Cornyn but paused his decision as lawmakers debate the SAVE Act.
Paxton has used the issue to pressure Senate leadership. The Texas attorney general signaled that he might consider exiting the race if Republicans dismantle the Senate filibuster and pass the voting bill.
“I’ve spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well,” Paxton told Real America’s Voice. “Everything that Trump stood for, John Cornyn’s fought.”
Paxton also defended his loyalty to the president in a social media post.
“John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill,” Paxton wrote on X.
The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I'm committed to helping President Trump get it done.
I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.
John Cornyn…
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) March 5, 2026
“The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.”
Trump signaled that his endorsement decision in the race could arrive soon.
“My Endorsements within the Republican Party have been virtually insurmountable!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“It is such an honor to realize and say that almost everyone I endorse WINS, and wins by a lot, especially in Texas!”
“I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!”
