Senate Republicans, who have struggled to advance President Donald Trump’s signature "SAVE America Act" aimed at election integrity, have found new momentum.

Previously, Senate Republicans attempted twice to include the SAVE America Act in a marathon voting session to pass a $70 billion immigration enforcement bill for ICE and CBP, but failed. If successful, they would have used the budget reconciliation process to bypass the Democratic filibuster and pass the bill with a simple majority.

The reason for the failure was that several Republican senators voted against it, joining Democratic senators. Four Republican senators, Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), and Thom Tillis (North Carolina), voted against the bill.

The amendment they opposed was submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and sought to add several policies to the SAVE America Act, including a ban on transgender men participating in women's sports.

However, an amendment submitted by Senator Mike Lee (Utah) unexpectedly garnered the support of Senator Collins, achieving 50 votes in favor. This means that Vice President JD Vance could cast the 51st vote to pass the SAVE America Act.

"This means that had it not been for the zombie filibuster, the SAVE America Act, which passed the House, would have gone to the White House to be signed by President Trump," Lee said.

Conservatives, including Senator Lee, have been pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to filibuster to exhaust the Democrats and pass the bill with a simple majority.

Senator Lee stated that he would give Democrats an opportunity to support the SAVE America Act and dismissed Democratic criticism of the bill as "paranoid delusion."

However, Thune is reportedly not rushing to process the bill, fearing that Republicans will not unite to block the numerous amendments that Democrats could introduce.

Republicans could also abolish the filibuster rule altogether. However, there is considerable debate among Republican senators about this approach, as it could become a significant obstacle for Republicans if Democrats gain majority status in the Senate.

In 1917, the "Cloture" rule, which allows for the termination of unlimited debate, was first introduced, requiring a two-thirds vote of present senators. In 1975, this requirement was significantly reduced to 60 votes, or three-fifths.

In 2013, under Democratic leadership, the threshold for blocking the filibuster on nominations for high-level cabinet positions and federal lower court judges was lowered from 60 votes to a simple majority, effectively neutralizing it. In 2017, under Republican leadership, the scope was expanded to include nominations for federal Supreme Court justices, making it impossible to block Supreme Court appointments through filibuster.

According to Fox News, Thune said, "As you know, this is not a new requirement. And generally in Congress, rulings are like a double-edged sword. We can't help but win some and lose some, but it was the same when the Democrats were the majority."

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com