Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday after she said President Trump's patience was running out over the SAVE America Act. The exchange highlighted ongoing tensions between the White House and Senate Republicans on the election security bill.
Leavitt made her comments during a White House briefing on Thursday. She noted that Trump wants as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess and said the Senate needs to act after the House completed its work.
Thune responded from Capitol Hill by suggesting the White House should call lawmakers directly to build support. He said Democrats on the Senate floor were blocking progress and urged officials to target any reachable Republican votes.
The back-and-forth followed Trump's Wednesday rally remarks in Georgia. There he urged supporters to contact Thune and renewed his call to end the filibuster to prevent future Democratic moves on statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.
Earlier the House passed a version of the bill attached to the Stop Insider Trading Act by a 232-198 vote. Representative Andy Ogles also called for Thune to step aside if he would not advance the measure.
