Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) pointed out that President Donald Trump and Republican voters are frustrated because they “don’t see” Senate Republicans fighting to pass the SAVE America Act.
While speaking to host Matthew Boyle on Breitbart News Saturday, Banks shared that he was “not surprised” that Trump said he would not sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act until the Senate passed the SAVE America Act. Banks also shared that Trump “always tells us what he’s going to do before he does it,” adding that he had previously stated he would not sign another bill until the SAVE America Act was passed.
“I voted for the Housing bill, but I’m not surprised that President Trump said he’s not going to sign it and invoked the pledge that he made several weeks ago, months ago, that ‘If you’re not going to fight for the SAVE Act, then I’m not going to sign anything that you send to my desk.’ President Trump always tells us what he’s going to do before he does it. In this case, he told us that, ‘Don’t send this to my desk without the SAVE America Act,” Banks said, adding:
“I think he’s going to sign it, but he came to our Senate lunch with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, with a very tough message and it was a message that many of my Senate Republican colleagues — some of them who have been there way to long needed to hear, and that’s that you gotta fight. You can’t expect the Trump voters to show up in the midterm election and vote for us to keep majorities if we’re not fighting for the Trump agenda.”
Banks continued to state that “There are a lot of senators who say out loud that they support the SAVE America Act, knowing that it can’t pass without nuking the filibuster,” adding that he didn’t know if he bought that.
“I’m for nuking the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, and President Trump knows that. But, what President Trump is frustrated by, and I think most of our base is frustrated by — Republicans in Indiana are frustrated by, is they don’t see the fight. They don’t see us fighting for the SAVE America Act,” Banks said.
Banks pointed out that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) “is fighting to get the SAVE America Act put into the Defense bill.”
“Let’s fight to add the SAVE America Act to the Housing bill. Let’s fight to add it to FISA Reauthorization, fight to add it to a new Reconciliation bill. If you can’t nuke the filibuster, fight to put the SAVE America Act somewhere else. That’s what President Trump is reminding us, is that you gotta fight for it, and right now you have a lot of Senate Republicans who aren’t willing to fight to pass the SAVE America Act.”