The Plan That Wasn’t
Vice President JD Vance told reporters that he and President Donald Trump planned a bold move to pass the SAVE America Act. They discussed taking over the Senate floor.
It never happened. Vance admitted they decided against it. The reason was simple. A small group of Republicans would have stopped them.
War-Gaming the Rules
The Vice President spoke with Vince Coglianese of The Daily Caller. He said they “obsessively” discussed how to pass the bill. They even talked about removing the Senate parliamentarian.
Vance explained the scenario clearly.
To begin, may I take the Senate chair and dismiss the parliamentarian? Yes, I could. Asking that question reveals what exactly? So let’s just play this out, he said.
He noted they ran the numbers internally. “Trust me, we have played it out internally with a lot of great people, including the president of the United States,” Vance told The Daily Caller.
But the math did not work. Even if he fired the parliamentarian, four or five Republicans would join the Democrats.
“Four or five Republicans, at least, and maybe 10 Republicans, they join the Democrats to then overrule the new chair,” Vance explained.
The Real Obstacle
Vance made it clear the rules were not the problem. The problem was the people.
“The problem is not with who’s in the chair.” He noted that four or five Republicans, whose identities are known to all, will align with Democrats.
Breitbart reported that Vance said the parliamentarian is just a bureaucrat. The real issue is that some Republican senators vote with the other side more than their own party.
He listed the names in a hypothetical scenario.
Should I overrule the parliamentarian, they require four votes since reaching 50 allows me to break the tie for victory. Vance stated that four Republicans—Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Tom Tillis, and Lisa Murkowski—joined 47 Democrats in the coalition.
He called it a “fun little ceremonial battle that you lose.” The White House wants to win, not lose a vote.
You engage in a charming ceremonial conflict you ultimately lose. He told Daily Signal that the goal is winning by swapping out mediocre Republican senators for capable ones.
Why the Bill Stalls
The SAVE America Act requires valid ID to vote. It needs proof of citizenship. It limits mail-in ballots. These are standard rules for many people.
Breitbart noted the bill has stalled. Democrats and some Republicans oppose it. Vance asserted that unifying the Vice President with 50 GOP senators would enable passage of the measure.
But they decided it would go nowhere.
“We have wargamed this to every detail and I wanted to do this a few months ago, and we ultimately decided it doesn’t make sense because it’s not going to go anywhere,” Vance told Breitbart.
He said there is no shortcut around the current senators.
“There is no shortcut, I think our people want to think the parliamentarian is the problem … the parliamentarian is a bureaucrat … the problem is we have a number of Republican senators who vote more with Democrats than their own party, and that is the issue,” he said.
The path forward remains blocked by internal votes. Vance said, “There can be no more excuses!” regarding the need for unity. Until the party sticks together, the act stays on the shelf.
