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A growing rift inside the Republican Party burst into public view this week as President Donald Trump and several House Republicans openly blasted Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the stalled SAVE America Act, accusing the longtime Kentucky lawmaker of standing in the way of legislation they argue is critical to securing federal elections.<\/span><\/p>\n What might once have played out behind closed doors is now unfolding in plain sight \u2014 with Trump mocking McConnell online and GOP lawmakers questioning both his motives and his leadership as the bill sits idle in the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most pointed comments came from Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC), who on SiriusXM blasted McConnell directly, saying \u201che hates Donald Trump\u201d and argued the Kentucky senator \u201cshould be in a nursing home\u201d rather than blocking the bill. Norman said McConnell is \u201cbeholden to the special interests\u201d and insisted the GOP needs new leadership and term limits.<\/span><\/p>\n Norman\u2019s remarks were shared on <\/span>X<\/span><\/a>, calling out McConnell by name and questioning his effectiveness in the Senate, a rare and unusually blunt rebuke from a Republican colleague.<\/span><\/p>\n That sentiment reflects wider frustration among Trump-aligned Republicans over the SAVE Act\u2019s slow progress in the chamber. While President Donald Trump used his 2026 State of the Union to call for Senate passage of the bill \u2014 urging lawmakers to \u201capprove the SAVE America Act\u201d as part of his agenda to require voter ID and proof of citizenship \u2014 the Senate has yet to bring it up for a vote.<\/span><\/p>\n Trump escalated the pressure on social media, <\/span>posting<\/span><\/a> a clip from \u201cWeekend at Bernie\u2019s\u201d and captioning it: \u201cMitch McConnell arriving to block the SAVE Act in a last-ditch attempt to save his name.\u201d The jab underscored growing frustration among conservatives who see the bill as a must-pass election integrity measure with overwhelming grassroots support.<\/span><\/p>\n Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) suggested McConnell\u2019s opposition may be personal, saying on <\/span>X<\/span><\/a> he believes it is \u201cpartially just out of meanness,\u201d adding that \u201che doesn\u2019t like Trump.\u201d Burchett went further, questioning who is truly making decisions in McConnell\u2019s office: \u201cIs it him or a staff member? Because, as you know, he\u2019s a lot like Joe Biden in his last days in office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Other Republicans have pressed Senate leadership to move the bill forward, arguing that requiring proof of citizenship is common sense and widely supported by voters. Trump has repeatedly urged the Senate to act, framing the measure as essential to election security.<\/span><\/p>\n Representative Andy Barr (R-KY), who will be running for McConnell\u2019s seat after he retires, sent the senator a <\/span>letter<\/span><\/a> last month. The letter strongly urged McConnell, \u201c<\/span>as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, to expeditiously move the America Act through the Senate and to the President\u2019s Desk.\u201d He added, \u201cThis marks the second time that the U.S. House of Representatives has acted to advance common sense voter identification and proof of citizenship requirements to strengthen the integrity of our federal elections.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For his part, McConnell and his team have not claimed responsibility for the stall. A spokesperson for the Kentucky senator <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> in a statement, \u201cSenator McConnell has not, at any point in time, prevented a floor vote on any version of the SAVE Act. The most recent version of the bill that passed the House was not referred to any committees and is currently awaiting Senate floor consideration. Senator McConnell has no role in or power to control floor consideration of this bill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n McConnell has not publicly embraced the legislation and has resisted procedural efforts to fast-track it, fueling criticism from within his own party as tensions between Trump-aligned Republicans and the Senate\u2019s Republican leadership once again spill into public view.<\/span><\/p>\n Senate Republican leadership has tried to take the scrutiny from McConnell. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), in a statement to the <\/span>Washington Examiner<\/span><\/a>, said, <\/span>\u201cHouse members are going to say what they\u2019re going to say. They aren\u2019t going to tell us how we\u2019re going to run the Senate.\u201d Another Senate leader said the Senate was \u201cgoing to do what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d regardless of outside commentary.<\/span><\/p>\n