Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sparked backlash from conservatives after downplaying the likelihood that the SAVE America Act could pass the Senate.

The legislation centers on requiring voter identification in federal elections. President Donald Trump has indicated he would hold other legislation at his desk until the Senate passes the bill. However, despite Republicans holding a 53–47 majority, the measure would still require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

Thune has sought to temper expectations that supporters could force passage through what some have called a “talking filibuster,” where opponents would be required to continuously hold the floor to block the legislation.

“Having studied it and researched it pretty thoroughly, you have to show me how, in the end, it prevails and succeeds,” Thune said in remarks reported by NBC News. “Because I think what has been promised out there is that it would actually, in the end, get an outcome. And I find it very hard to see that based on actual past experience.”

He added that historically, no legislation has been passed through the kind of extended talking filibuster strategy some supporters have suggested.

The controversy intensified Monday when Thune suggested the push behind the legislation may be driven by what he described as a “paid influencer ecosystem.”

“A lot of that is, it’s in that kind of, you know, paid influencer ecosystem,” Thune told an NBC reporter when asked about growing pressure from conservative activists to pass the bill. He added that “the process & how do you ultimately try & get a result is still unclear to me.”

The remark triggered immediate criticism from supporters of the legislation.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., questioned Thune’s characterization, writing on social media, “In what world is this a paid influencer campaign?”

A talking filibuster would require Democrats opposing the bill to continuously hold the Senate floor to prevent a vote, a tactic that could potentially stall Senate business for weeks if attempted. Conservatives backing the measure have argued that forcing such a standoff could increase pressure to bring the legislation to a vote.