Update: SAVE America Act Clears House, Now in Senate with 50 Votes

Thune Promises Floor Vote, "Standing Filibuster" in Play

The SAVE America Act (H.R. 7296), the latest version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility legislation, passed the House on February 11, 2026, by a 218-213 vote. Republicans voted unanimously in favor, joined by one Democrat (Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas). The bill requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and photo ID to cast a ballot, expanding on earlier SAVE Act proposals.

reuters.com Members of the House of Representatives stand with Speaker Mike Johnson to announce House passage of the SAVE Act

The measure has now moved to the Senate, where it has secured support from at least 50 senators—including 49 co-sponsors plus Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who announced her backing this week (with Senate Majority Leader John Thune also supportive). That creates a potential 50-50 tie, which Vice President JD Vance could break in favor of passage.

newsweek.com Republicans gain Susan Collins' (R) Maine, support for the SAVE Act

Will Thune Bring It to the Floor? Yes. Thune has repeatedly said he supports the bill’s goals and will schedule a Senate vote “in the not-too-distant future.” He told reporters the Senate will have a “robust discussion” and confirmed Republicans are actively talking about next steps.

Will He Invoke Standing/Talking Filibuster Rules? This is the big question—and the most discussed workaround right now. Thune has firmly ruled out “nuking” or lowering the 60-vote filibuster threshold: “There aren’t anywhere close to the votes—not even close—to nuking the filibuster.”

However, Senate Republicans (led by Sen. Mike Lee and others) are seriously considering forcing a standing (or “talking”) filibuster. Under this rarely used approach, Democrats would have to physically hold the floor and speak continuously to maintain their filibuster. If they yield the floor or stop speaking, the debate ends, and the bill could advance on a simple majority vote (potentially 51-50 with Vance).

Thune has said the conference will discuss this tactic, but has not committed, noting it could tie up the Senate for days or weeks and delay other priorities.

How Could the Senate Actually Pass It? Three realistic paths (ranked by likelihood as of mid-February 2026):

1. Standing/talking filibuster succeeds — Democrats relent or can’t sustain days of continuous debate → simple majority + VP tiebreaker passes it.

2. Attached to must-pass legislation later (e.g., spending bill, farm bill) — though Thune recently separated it from funding fights.

3. Rule change to bypass 60-vote cloture — Thune and most GOP senators (including Collins) have explicitly said no.

One major complication: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has publicly opposed the bill, calling it “federal overreach.” That means even a simple-majority path isn’t guaranteed without every Republican on board.

Bottom Line: The SAVE America Act is closer than ever to a Senate showdown. Thune will bring it to the floor, and the GOP now has the 50 votes needed for a majority (or tiebreaker) scenario. The decisive fight will be over procedure—specifically, whether Republicans are willing to force Democrats into an old-school talking filibuster. Expect that debate to dominate Senate headlines in the coming weeks.

*Previous article context: The earlier SAVE Act (H.R. 22) passed the House in 2025 but stalled in the Senate; this version adds the photo-ID mandate and has stronger Trump/Musk backing.

Sources:

Congress.gov, recent reporting from The Hill, NBC News, Fox News, Newsweek, and Senate GOP statements (Feb 10–15, 2026).