President Donald Trump has threatened to bring the government to a standstill by refusing to sign any legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship.
The bill, approved by the U.S. House of Representatives last month, is currently stalled in the Senate. It would require voters to prove their citizenship by submitting a U.S. passport or birth certificate matching the name on their voter ID when registering and present valid photo identification before casting a ballot. The measure would also require states to share voter information with the Department of Homeland Security to verify citizenship.
Critics say the bill would create additional hurdles for American citizens, nearly half of whom do not possess a passport, while others may have difficulty accessing birth certificates or other documents needed to prove their citizenship. Others warn it could disenfranchise people whose names at birth do not match their current legal names — including married women, people who have changed their names, and transgender individuals.
The measure, opposed by Senate Democrats, already faced a difficult path because it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. In a Truth Social post, Trump also demanded additional provisions be added to the bill.
Trump also wants the bill expanded to ban most mail-in ballots, allowing them only for military members, voters with serious illnesses or disabilities, or people traveling out of state on Election Day.
He is also insisting the bill include a nationwide ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports and a nationwide ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
In the post, Trump wrote that the bill “supersedes everything else” and that “I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION.”
Trump endorsed changing Senate rules to force Democrats to deploy a “talking filibuster,” in which opponents must remain on the Senate floor and continue speaking to stall passage. Under current rules, most legislation requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance to a final vote. Changing those rules would require broad support or the use of the so-called “nuclear option,” allowing a simple majority to end debate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) rejected Trump’s demand, saying there is not enough support among senators to change the filibuster rules.
“The votes aren’t there, one, to nuke the filibuster, and the votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster. It’s just a reality,” Thune said Tuesday. “I’m the person who has to deliver sometimes the not-so-good news that the math doesn’t add up, but those are the facts and there’s no getting around it.”
Thune also noted that for Trump’s preferred version of the bill to pass, the House — currently on recess — would first have to draft a new measure including the president’s additional demands, including the anti-trans provisions.
Caius Willingham, a senior policy analyst at Advocates for Trans Equality, said there is not enough support in the Senate to attach the anti-transgender measures to the voter ID bill.
“It seems as if he believes that attaching these anti-trans riders to the SAVE America Act would improve its chances in the Senate,” he told The 19th. “Putting those riders into the SAVE America Act would actually turn off more senators than it would inspire them.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled Democrats will not back down, writing in a post on X: “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. Senate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) was dismissive of the president’s threat to grind government to a halt, suggesting that Congress under Republican control isn’t accomplishing much anyway.
“Congress ain’t passing any bills anyway so,” he wrote on X, adding a shrug emoji.
USA Hockey has quietly adopted a new policy barring transgender athletes from participating in single-sex programs that do not align with their assigned sex at birth.
On November 15, 2025, the organization approved a participant eligibility policy requiring that in any programs restricted by sex -- including adult recreational "beer" leagues -- athletes may only compete against others of the same biological sex, according to The Athletic.
Under the policy, transgender men who have undergone hormone therapy are barred from competing in both men’s leagues and women’s leagues at the high school or adult levels.
Ohio doesn't have a standalone hate crime statute. Instead, the state relies on an "ethnic intimidation" law that allows prosecutors to elevate a crime from a misdemeanor to a felony if a suspect targeted someone based on their "race, color, religion, or national origin."
But a new bipartisan bill to create a formal hate crimes law could ultimately exclude LGBTQ victims.
The bill -- HB 306 -- would create a new offense of "hate crime" in cases where a victim was allegedly targeted for violence because of personal characteristics -- including race, religion, sex, disability, political affiliation, age, military status, familial status, ancestry, national origin, or involvement in a labor dispute.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled 2-1 that federal agencies can bar employees from using bathrooms that match their gender identity.
The decision reflects how the EEOC -- tasked with enforcing federal civil rights laws against workplace discrimination -- has been reshaped in a more conservative mold under the Trump administration and the leadership of Chair Andrea Lucas, who has previously cast the commission as an extension of the executive branch.
"I've been clear: The agency is not an independent agency," Lucas told The New York Times last month. "It's an executive branch agency. The will of the people elected the president, and I'm going to execute it."
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.