Rep. Chip Roy is calling out the excuses and laying down a roadmap. In a letter sent to senators, Roy explained how the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act can be brought to the Senate floor for a vote without “nuking” the filibuster — a concept some in Washington treat like sacred scripture whenever accountability is inconvenient.
The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot. It already passed the House, yet it’s sitting idle in the Senate, despite 50 Republican senators who either co-sponsor or support it. As Roy bluntly noted, Majority Leader John Thune can put the bill on the floor anytime. Apparently, the Senate calendar is only jammed when election integrity shows up.
Roy laid out how Republicans can force a real vote under current Senate rules. If GOP senators who support the bill simply show up and maintain a live quorum, Democrats would have to physically hold the floor and speak nonstop to delay a vote at 51 senators, instead of hiding behind the usual 60-vote threshold.
“The commonly accepted 60-vote ‘filibuster’ threshold… is not the ONLY way to force a vote,” Roy explained. Under Senate rules, if a quorum is present, the chamber must either be voting or someone must be speaking. Translation: no talking, no hiding — the vote happens automatically.
Roy criticized what he called the Senate’s “fake” or “zombie” filibuster, where debate isn’t actually happening, but business stalls anyway because 60 votes can’t be reached to shut off imaginary debate. In that scenario, Republicans pretend they tried, Democrats pretend they debated, and voters get nothing. A true Washington special.
Instead, Roy says a present majority of 51 senators can push the bill forward. Democrats would be free to speak in opposition, but once they exhaust their opportunities or give up, the final vote would happen automatically. That means discipline is key: Republicans would need to table amendments, enforce the two-speech rule, and stay united.
“We can move the legislation under CURRENT rules without ‘nuking’ the filibuster,” Roy emphasized.
The SAVE America Act passed the House 218–213, with Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar voting alongside Republicans. Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman has also voiced support. As Matt Kittle of The Federalist pointed out, the policy is wildly popular, and forcing a Senate vote would require lawmakers to explain why they oppose basic election safeguards supported by roughly 80 percent of Americans.
Noncitizen voting is already illegal, but enforcement is practically nonexistent. The SAVE Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act to require real proof of citizenship instead of relying on a tiny checkbox and the honor system. Because nothing says “secure election” like trusting everyone pinky-promises they’re eligible.
The path is clear, the rules already exist, and the support is there. All that’s left is for the Senate to stop pretending it’s powerless and actually vote. And when transparency and common sense finally get their day on the floor, that’s a win for election integrity — and a step forward the country can feel good about.
