Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced Monday that the Senate will attempt to pass a standalone reauthorization of key federal surveillance powers, breaking from President Trump’s demand that the extension be packaged with election integrity legislation.
Thune told reporters he plans to move an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act attached. Section 702, which authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign nationals abroad without a warrant, lapsed over the weekend after Congress failed to extend it.
“We will try and move 702 as soon as we feel like we have the votes to do it,” Thune said.
The Senate leader said attaching the SAVE America Act to the surveillance bill would be “unrealistic.” The SAVE Act would require Americans to provide documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote and present photo identification at the ballot box.
Trump pushed back sharply on Monday morning via Truth Social. “I’m against FISA if it doesn’t come with The Save America Act (Full version!) firmly attached to it. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president wrote, calling out Democratic opposition to the package as politically motivated.
The split puts Thune at odds with Trump on two fronts simultaneously: surveillance renewal and election integrity. Senior Senate Republicans believe Trump would ultimately sign a clean FISA extension if it reached his desk, despite his public opposition.
Democrats blocked the FISA bill last week over the appointment of Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Thune expressed hope that the pending Senate confirmation of Jay Clayton as permanent director of national intelligence could clear the way for bipartisan support.
“That’s probably all contingent on Clayton getting confirmed and in position,” Thune said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called the SAVE America Act “Jim Crow 2.0,” opposing the citizenship verification and voter ID requirements as discriminatory. His caucus has held firm against any legislation pairing the two measures.
The SAVE America Act has been a top priority for Trump and conservative lawmakers, who argue the measure is necessary to safeguard ballot integrity against non-citizen voting. Opponents say existing federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting and that the additional documentation requirements would suppress legitimate voter participation.
With Section 702 expired, the intelligence community has temporarily lost one of its primary legal tools for monitoring foreign threats without initiating individual court orders. Intelligence officials have warned repeatedly that allowing the authority to lapse poses a direct risk to national security.
No vote had been scheduled as of Monday evening, pending Clayton’s confirmation status.
