White House chief of staff steps onto Capitol Hill to push SAVE Act forward

In a rare public effort, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to press Senate leaders John Thune and John Barrasso to advance the SAVE America Act, a voter-restriction proposal favored by President Trump. Wiles asked about the stalled reconciliation process and the lack of votes, while also raising the administration’s push to eliminate the filibuster, which the Senate has resisted. The discussion, described as candid but not immediately fruitful, omitted any mention of the pending appointment of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Earlier, press secretary Karoline Leavitt signaled that Trump’s tolerance for delays on the bill was diminishing and that he hopes to see it passed before the August recess. Thune replied that the Republican caucus lacks sufficient votes to move the measure. The SAVE America Act would ban mail-in voting and require voters to present a birth certificate or passport to cast a ballot.