President Donald Trump has called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to remove Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough as a crucial step for Senate Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act.
Trump’s call for MacDonough’s removal was made on Truth Social on Monday, where he criticized her for obstructing the SAVE America Act, the bill that requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and a photo ID for voting.
Trump lashed out at the Senate Parliamentarian, noting she was appointed under Democratic leadership during the Obama administration, and blamed former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for keeping her in the role after Republicans took control of the Senate in 2014.
“We have every right to change her, and should do so, IMMEDIATELY. As long as she’s there, we will never get our desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, approved, and put into full force and effect!” Trump wrote.
SAVE Act Sparks GOP Infighting
The SAVE America Act has been a contentious issue among Republicans. Earlier this month, MacDonough ruled that the Act violates the Senate’s Byrd Rule and therefore cannot be included in a budget reconciliation package, a process that allows legislation to pass with a simple majority and avoid the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed her dissatisfaction with the Republican Party’s inability to pass the Act and criticized the GOP leadership, arguing that despite their control of the government, key conservative priorities such as election integrity legislation have stalled.
Last month, Trump urged Republican leaders to replace Senate Parliamentarian MacDonough after she blocked a provision allocating $1 billion for White House security upgrades. However, Thune dismissed the demand, warning that removing her could undermine Senate norms and make it harder to manage the chamber.
Over the past few months, Thune has increasingly broken with Trump, criticizing the appointment of Bill Pulte as acting DNI and opposing Trump’s $1.78 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which he said, “doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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