Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy threw his weight behind President Trump's hardball tactics Wednesday, declaring the president should use "everything he can" to force the Senate's hand on the SAVE America Act—even if it means holding other legislation hostage.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections and photo ID at the polls, passed the House in February by a razor-thin 218-213 margin. But Senate Democrats, joined by four GOP defectors—Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Thom Tillis—have repeatedly blocked the bill from reaching the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster.

Trump's Pressure Campaign Escalates

The president has made the SAVE Act his self-described "No. 1 priority" heading into the 2026 midterms, and he's demonstrated a willingness to torch bipartisan achievements to get it done. On June 24, Trump abruptly canceled a planned signing ceremony for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act—a bipartisan measure that passed the Senate 85-5 and the House 358-32—until Congress delivers voter ID legislation to his desk.

"The housing bill can wait," a White House source told reporters. "The integrity of our elections cannot."

Trump also confronted Senate Republicans directly during a testy Capitol Hill lunch meeting, getting into a shouting match with Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and demanding Majority Leader John Thune either eliminate the filibuster or "get the bad Republicans to approve" the voting bill. The president has even floated firing the Senate parliamentarian to circumvent procedural obstacles.

House Conservatives Shut Down the Floor

Meanwhile, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has led a faction of House conservatives in paralyzing floor proceedings. The group has voted against routine procedural "rule" votes, effectively grinding the chamber to a halt until the Senate acts on voter integrity measures.

The blockade has stalled not just the housing bill but also a Section 702 FISA reauthorization and other Trump-backed priorities. Speaker Mike Johnson, caught between the conservative rebels and the need to keep legislation moving, met with Trump at the White House on June 25 to discuss a path forward.

The Four Holdouts

Senate Republicans who have repeatedly blocked the SAVE Act cite concerns about eliminating the filibuster and the bill's practicality. Sen. Thom Tillis bluntly told reporters on June 26: "The SAVE America Act will not be implemented in time for this election."

Democrats unanimously oppose the measure, arguing existing laws already prohibit noncitizen voting and that the bill would create barriers for eligible voters. GOP supporters counter that documentary proof of citizenship is a commonsense safeguard that most Americans support.

McCarthy's endorsement of maximum pressure tactics signals that the Republican establishment is lining up behind Trump's gambit, even as it threatens to derail bipartisan accomplishments and fracture the Senate GOP conference. Whether the strategy ultimately forces a breakthrough—or simply deepens the intraparty divide—remains the defining question of the summer legislative session.