Senate Parliamentarian Rules Voter ID, Border Measures Need 60 Votes

President Donald Trump on Monday called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to immediately fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. MacDonough ruled that the SAVE America Act voter ID bill cannot pass with a simple majority and would require 60 votes.

She also ruled that the Senate could not approve $1 billion in funding for Trump’s ballroom project as part of an immigration-enforcement funding bill without 60 votes.

Trump has previously questioned why Senate Republicans allowed MacDonough to keep her job. Parliamentarians are hired by the Senate secretary and serve at the pleasure of the majority leader; the Senate secretary is elected by the Senate. Thune has broken with Trump on several issues in recent weeks.

He called on Trump to shut down an anti-weaponization fund established in Trump’s IRS settlement, expressed concern over Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and maintained his endorsement of Sen.

John Cornyn even after Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in the Texas primary. Democrats blocked an effort to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in response to Trump tapping Pulte.

Thune expressed frustration about the “timing” of “the weekly announcements” from the White House. Trump stayed neutral in the Senate majority leader race between Thune and Sen. Rick Scott. Thune called Trump’s attempts to contest the 2020 election results “inexcusable,” and Trump predicted that Thune would be primaried in 2022.

Thune endorsed Sen. Tim Scott for president in the 2024 race.