Senate's Voter ID Bill: A Quiet Weekend Flop

0:00It's March 29th. Welcome to Vancouver News Today, powered by AI. Senate Republicans held a rare weekend session last Sunday to debate their big voter ID bill, the SAP America Act, pushed hard by President Trump. The idea was to prove they're serious about requiring photo IDs at polls and citizenship proof for voter registration. But instead of intense all-night talks, it turned into a ghost town on the floor. Senators were everywhere, but there. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski was outpodding plants after leaving the capital. Texas's Ted Cruz rushed to the airport, and a bunch of others rode in straight from a golf game. Corm calls even failed because so few stuck around. Right-wing influencers won a majority leader, John Thune, to force a talking filibuster, holding the floor non-stop to dodge the 60-vote hurdle. Thune called that, too, risky. It could have flipped control to Democrats. This low-key, extended debate starting March 17th was just to calm the noise and look busy. Senators like North Carolina's Tom Tillis admitted it was a flop, calling it a non-alcom that

1:04met zero expectations. Murkowski noted hardly anyone was watching, but hey, they snuck through Mark Wayne Mullins DHS nomination fast on the quiet weekend. Now leaders are shifting to reconciliation to pass parts of the bill, skipping debate drama. Floor action picks back up mid-April after recess. But don't hold your breath for real fireworks. This one's more show than showdown.