President Donald Trump is set to meet with Senate Republicans this week, making a rare trip to Capitol Hill as party members publicly spar over what is the best path forward to advance their agenda.
Read more What’s coming to the stage in Utah this year? Here’s the latest
Trump will meet with members of the GOP Steering Committee on Wednesday after an invitation from Sen. Rick Scott, who leads the panel. That committee helps shape Republicans’ policy plans on Capitol Hill as well as strategy — giving the president an opportunity to weigh in as divisions emerge among Senate Republicans.
And Scott, who is a main sponsor of the SAVE America Act, has hinted that the sweeping election reform bill will be a central topic of discussion.
“Let’s hit the ground running this week,” Scott said in a social media post. “The Senate needs to come together, have conversations, work with (Trump), and get the SAVE America Act done.”
The meeting comes just one week after tensions began to spill over behind closed doors as a pair of Senate Republicans challenged Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s strategy of pushing for a “floor takeover” to pass the SAVE America Act — and expressed concerns the effort is dividing Republicans and undermining their agenda, according to a source familiar with the exchange.
Trump has since joined their calls to alter filibuster rules in the Senate to pass the election reform bill, making it more difficult for Senate GOP leaders to convince senators such as Lee to drop it.
“Good chat with President Trump tonight,” Lee said in a post on X over the weekend. “He’s not giving up on the SAVE America Act. Neither am I. He’s as convinced as I am that we can get this done if the Senate’s willing to do the hard work.”
Good chat with President Trump tonight
He’s not giving up on the SAVE America Act
Neither am I
He’s as convinced as I am that we can get this done if the Senate’s willing to do the hard work
Pass it on if you’d like to see that happen
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 21, 2026
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly downplayed the bill’s prospects, telling reporters for weeks there is not enough support to pass the Senate. The bill would require at least seven Democrats to join Republicans to clear the 60-vote filibuster.
Read more Silver linings: Navigating the blizzard of longevity advice
That’s prompted Trump to demand Republicans attach the bill to must-pass legislation to ensure its viability — a tactic that is often used to advance partisan policy, but one that has not had much luck in the second Trump administration.
Trump wants SAVE Act paired with FISA reauthorization
Most recently, Trump has demanded the SAVE America Act — which includes proof-of-citizenship and voter ID requirements for federal elections as well as some culture-war provisions such as no transgender athletes in women’s sports — be attached to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
“Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. “Not complicated, actually, the Republicans fell into a trap.”
That announcement jolted Senate Republican leaders’ plans to quickly confirm Clayton and renew FISA, which expired earlier this month. And GOP leadership appears unsure of Trump’s larger strategy.
Thune has acknowledged that Trump wants to “add SAVE America to pretty much everything,” but the top Senate Republican has said it wouldn’t survive being attached to the government surveillance bill.
“That, you know, obviously, is not realistic to get the FISA bill done,” Thune said on Monday. “And we want to get the FISA bill done.”
Meanwhile, Lee has renewed calls to utilize marathon floor debate — often referred to as a “talking filibuster” — to pass his flagship election bill, a tactic that was unsuccessful when attempted earlier this year.
“I remain a broken record: we’ll only pass this bill if we bring it to the floor and debate it nonstop until Democrats are either exhausted or irritated into doing the right thing,” Lee told the Deseret News in a statement.
Read more Deseret News archives: Expanding the Supreme Court was a hot topic … in 1937