Vance Says He And Trump War-Gamed A Senate Floor Takeover To Pass SAVE America Act

Vice President JD Vance says he and President Donald Trump have gone over, in exhaustive detail, whether the Senate could be forced to pass the SAVE America Act and end the filibuster, and that they concluded the maneuver would fail. Vance described the discussions in a 30-minute interview with Vince Coglianese, Daily Caller Editorial Director, that aired Tuesday.

Asked whether he could preside over the Senate, dismiss the parliamentarian and clear the way for the bill, Vance said he technically could. The trouble, he argued, is what follows. Republican senators who often side with Democrats would join the 47 Democratic senators to overrule him. Vance said Democrats would need only four Republicans, since with 50 votes he could break a tie in his party's favor. He named Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski as the probable defectors. Vance said he had wanted to try the plan months ago, but he and Trump decided it was pointless. In his view, the answer is to replace what he called mediocre Republican senators with better ones, rather than stage a symbolic fight that is lost. Coglianese responded that this approach would help Republicans win the midterms.

The bill has been stuck in the Senate for months. Daily Caller reports that Trump went to Capitol Hill in June for a tense lunch with Republican senators about it, which one source said left matters worse.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →