Senate Majority Leader John Thune has delayed action on the SAVE America Act, a Trump-backed election measure, as Republicans prioritise preventing a government shutdown. The move highlights a growing divide within the Republican Party between pressure to advance the president’s election agenda and the practical need to secure enough support to keep federal agencies funded.

House Republicans have advanced a party-line budget reconciliation framework that includes a preliminary plan to pursue parts of the election proposal alongside other spending priorities. Thune indicated that the bill faces procedural and political obstacles in the Senate, where a shutdown deadline and limited bipartisan backing make immediate passage difficult.