RINO Senator Caves To Trump, Throws Weight Behind SAVE Act

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) — a staunch ally of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) who is currently locked in a tight contest with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the state’s GOP Senate primary — penned an op-ed calling on Republican Senators to abandon the “zombie” filibuster in order to pass a wildly popular election integrity bill.

Cornyn explained his reasoning for supporting the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a House-passed election integrity bill that will add additional barriers to prevent non-citizen voting, including photo ID requirements. The senator has already endorsed the bill and last week said he was in favor of deploying the talking filibuster, a senate maneuver that requires the minority party to physically filibuster any legislation they oppose.

Current rules allow any piece of legislation that does not reach 60 votes to be shelved instantaneously, a process commonly known as the “zombie filibuster.”

In the op-ed titled, “Sen. Cornyn: Why the SAVE Act matters more than the filibuster,” the senator argued that protecting election integrity and funding homeland security outweigh preserving traditional Senate procedures, such as the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold.

Cornyn began by drawing an analogy to self-defense, noting that Democrats previously attempted to eliminate the filibuster in 2022 to advance election-related legislation but failed due to internal opposition. He further cited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s 2024 statements confirming Democrats’ intent to end the filibuster upon regaining control.

“But when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt. Today, Democrats are weaponizing the Senate’s rules to block the SAVE America Act, defund the Department of Homeland Security and hurt the American people — all to spite President Donald Trump,” Cornyn wrote.

Since Democrats have already signaled their willingness to remove the filibuster, Cornyn presented the issue as Republicans opting to “disarm unilaterally” or allow Democrats to move forward with their plans. He then expressed support for the talking filibuster.

“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,” the senator continued.

Democrats are weaponizing the Senate’s rules to block the SAVE America Act, defund @DHSgov, & hurt the American people to spite @POTUS.
 @SenateGOP can either let Dems keep obstructing & smash the filibuster the first chance they get, or we can act now & use the mandate the…

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 11, 2026

The op-ed comes as Leader Thune continues to cast doubt on the possibility of using the talking filibuster. Thune has claimed that the conference does not have the votes for such a move and has instead vowed to bring the bill to a simple floor vote, where it is doomed to fail.

He has also claimed that the push to pass the bill is originating from “paid influencers,” even though it has been described as a top legislative priority by President Donald Trump.

It is currently unclear whether Republicans would have the votes to deploy the talking filibuster.

Outgoing Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has previously threatened to resign if the talking filibuster were deployed, while Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has expressed support for the bill but stopped short of supporting a talking filibuster maneuver.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has also refused to sign off on the move, while Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has come out in opposition to the SAVE Act entirely. This would still leave Republicans short of the required 50-vote threshold.

For Cornyn, the op-ed comes as he is seeking the coveted Trump endorsement in his race against Paxton. The president has explicitly stated that he is withholding an endorsement in the race due to the SAVE Act, while Paxton has vowed to step aside should Republicans pass the bill.

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