Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has grown impatient as the SAVE America Act remains stalled in the Senate.
On "American Agenda," the outgoing lawmaker said that Trump "wants to see us get stuff done. He's telling the Senate, quit hiding behind things and figure out how to get this done."
Roy is the primary sponsor of the voter ID legislation in the House, where the bill was approved last year. The delay in the Senate, he said, is problematic for most conservatives.
"The Senate is dealing with it," he said. "They're dealing with their filibuster rules. We called long ago that they should be modifying their rules or using what we call the talking filibuster to force things through."
Roy acknowledged his own frustration with the Senate's pace.
"Now, they haven't done that as they've navigated through other things. The president is trying to force them to take action. To lead. Now, wherever they land on the SAVE [America] Act, he's saying, look, move it on FISA if you need to. Move it on the housing bill if you need to," he said, using the acronym for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Whatever action Senate Republicans take on the bill, Roy said it needs to happen.
"Let's talk about it in the form of any reconciliation bill we do," he said. "The president is rightly saying, guys, figure it out. That's the way the president works."
The SAVE America Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship and valid identification to register to vote in federal elections.
Roy said there is overwhelming support nationwide for the proposed voting rules.
"The truth is, the American people want to see it's delivered. There are things that the American people expect us to do. The president is right to tell Congress to get off its behinds and get stuff done for the American people."
Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social that he will not sign a bipartisan housing bill that cleared Congress with overwhelming support, throwing the future of one of the most significant housing measures in years into doubt.
The president wrote that "today's housing news conference and signing is hereby canceled until such time as we pass the desperately needed Save America Act, which I consider to be a national emergency."
At about the same time, a federal judge blocked key provisions of Trump's executive order on elections, including a requirement that individuals provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper ruled that Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose the requirements through executive action.
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