Republican Senate leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune, have repeatedly stated that the SAVE Act lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, with multiple attempts to advance it as amendments to must-pass legislation failing by narrow margins such as 48-50. Four Republican senators joined Democrats in key procedural votes, and efforts to attach the measure to the NDAA, DHS funding, or housing bills have stalled. Recent pushes to use budget reconciliation for core provisions like proof-of-citizenship requirements have not secured even the minimum Republican support required, while the Senate calendar leaves limited floor time before the November midterms. These structural and vote-count barriers underpin trader expectations that the bill will not reach the president’s desk in 2026.