'Circular firing squad': Senate GOP infighting devolves as Trump ramps up pressure

Republicans in the Senate continue to devolve into infighting over the SAVE America Act, with one prominent lawmaker telling The Hill that the situation has become like a "circular firing squad."

President Donald Trump has placed immense pressure on Congress to pass the bill, which would impose sweeping new voting reforms, requiring proof of citizenship for registration and photo IDs at polling places. Critics have lambasted the bill as an effort to push millions of people out of the voting process, given their lack of easy access to things like passports or their original birth certificates. Trump has argued that the bill is the "no. 1 priority," based on his long-debunked claims that non-citizens are committing widespread voter fraud.

Despite passing in the House, the SAVE Act has stalled out in the Senate due to Democratic resistance and the filibuster threshold. Several Republicans have also become increasingly uncomfortable with the bill as Trump has pushed for it to also restrict mail-in voting.

As the bill's MAGA backers have pushed for the party to take more drastic actions to pass it, tensions have flared up more and more. Rep. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and sponsor of the bill, recently urged voters to punish lawmakers who oppose the SAVE Act by voting them out of office, a statement that went down poorly with many of his colleagues.

"That threat is angering Senate GOP critics of the bill, who think it’s poorly drafted and has no chance of passing," The Hill reported. "They say threats to punish them for not rallying behind the bill will only backfire as the party heads into a midterm election facing strong political headwinds, such as Trump’s low approval ratings and voter dissatisfaction over inflation and the economy."

“Circular firing squads never end well,” Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and noted Trump critic, told the outlet. "To me, it’s disingenuous to say we’re going to go out here and we’re going to bring the bill, make [its virtues] apparent to the American people, and then he’s out there the night before we’re about to go on the bill and threatening primaries for people who don’t get on board for something he knows he doesn’t have support for."

Another anonymous GOP senator told The Hill that the threat from Lee "doesn’t do much for camaraderie."

"I don’t have a great appreciation for that," the lawmaker added. "The frustration should be focused on Democrats coming into the election year and not on Republicans."