Trump says he won’t sign bills until Congress overhauls voting : NPR

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he travels aboard Air Force One en route from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Miami, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP

President Trump has threatened to withhold his signature on all bills until Congress passes stricter federal voting requirements — a move that steps up his efforts to change election rules ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

In a social media post Sunday, Trump said he would not sign any bills until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

“As President, I will not sign any other bills until this one passes,” Trump wrote.

If passed and passed, the measure would transform voter registration and voting in the United States. It would require eligible voters to prove their citizenship with documents like a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate and a valid photo ID. It is already illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections.

Trump said the legislation should “go to the front of the line.” He also praised a Fox News guest who insisted that Senate rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation. Trump has already asked senators to abandon the filibuster to avoid Democrats having to support bills he favors.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has consistently pushed back against that pressure, saying any plans to change the filibuster lack the support of the GOP conference.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reiterated that Democrats would not support the SAVE America Act.

“If Trump says he won’t sign any bill until the SAVE Act passes, so be it: There will be total gridlock in the Senate,” Schumer said Sunday.

The GOP-controlled House has passed some versions of the legislation, but Democrats and some voting rights activists have argued the measure would make it harder for eligible voters to vote.

The impact of Trump’s threat to withhold his signature on all bills remains unclear. If the House and Senate advance a bill and Congress remains in session, any bill will become law within 10 days, even without Trump’s signature.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump would sign a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security or an additional military program funding the war in Iran.

The offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Thune did not immediately respond to requests for comment.