Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed support for ending the Senate filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, as he seeks the endorsement of President Donald Trump in his primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In a March 11 opinion piece published in the New York Post, Cornyn said he would support changes to Senate rules if necessary to move the legislation forward.
“After careful consideration, I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the SAVE America Act and homeland security funding past the Democrats’ obstruction, through the Senate, and on the president’s desk for his signature,” Cornyn wrote.
The senator noted that he has long supported the filibuster as an important safeguard against “all sorts of bad ideas and dangerous policies.”
However, he argued that political realities have shifted.
Cornyn said he believes Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), would move to abolish the Senate’s 60-vote threshold if they regain control of the chamber.
In 2022, Schumer attempted to change Senate rules to weaken the filibuster to pass voting legislation.
The effort ultimately failed after two Democrats—Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia—opposed the rule change, preventing it from moving forward.
Despite his past support for the filibuster, Cornyn wrote that “when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt.”
He pointed to what he described as Democratic obstruction in the Senate, including blocking the SAVE America Act and opposing funding measures for the Department of Homeland Security.
The SAVE America Act would require voters to prove U.S. citizenship to participate in federal elections.
Cornyn, a cosponsor of the bill, said the legislation would strengthen election integrity.
The Texas senator also said he believes the filibuster’s future is uncertain, arguing it is “not a matter of if but when” the rule will be changed if Democrats regain power.
For that reason, he wrote, Republicans should act while they have the opportunity.
The Biden administration, which had strongly pushed for the bill, said the legislation was “urgently needed to protect the right to vote and the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen American democracy.”
Opponents of the bill said it could weaken election security through provisions such as requiring no-excuse mail-in voting, expanding automatic voter registration, limiting voter ID requirements, and prohibiting certain state restrictions on ballot collection.
Cornyn argued the SAVE America Act would have the opposite effect by strengthening election safeguards.
He concluded by urging fellow Republicans who still support preserving the filibuster to reconsider their position.
“We should use the authority the voters have entrusted in us to pass the SAVE America Act, fund homeland security, and bring the far left’s obstruction to an end,” Cornyn wrote.
Paxton said he would consider dropping out if the Senate passes the SAVE America Act.
