President Trump has threatened to withhold his signature on all bills until Congress passes stricter federal voting requirements — a move that escalates his efforts to change election rules ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In a social media post, Trump said he won't sign any bills into law until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. But the threat is essentially meaningless since laws can go into effect without his signature. Thus far in 2026, only 11 bills have been signed into law, and most of those were passed via unanimous consent of the Senate or voice vote in the House. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has reiterated that Democrats will not support the SAVE America Act under an circumstance, with Democrats and voting rights activists arguing the measure would make voting more difficult for eligible voters. Schumer posted on X, saying, 'If Trump is saying he won't sign any bills until the SAVE Act is passed, then so be it: there will be total gridlock in the Senate.'
Once both chambers of Congress have each agreed to the bill, it is prepared in its final official form and then presented to the president, who has 10 working days to sign or veto the bill. If the bill is signed in that period, it becomes law. If the president declines to either sign or veto it, it becomes law without his signature . This week the Senate is on track to continue debating and may vote on an affordable housing bill, but since there will be amendments, it will not become law until after the House votes on it again. The House is out of session again this week, with Republican lawmakers at a Trump property for a legislative retreat.
For now, the Senate continues not to act on the SAVE America Act because it hasn't got 60 votes to overcome the regular filibuster. A 'talking filibuster' by Democrats could prevent any other Senate activity for months.