On Wednesday, Senator John Cornyn urged his Republican peers to amend the filibuster regulations in the Senate to advance a voter ID bill that President Trump has prioritized for the upcoming midterm elections.
Cornyn, a Texas Republican, expressed in a Post op-ed that while he once believed eliminating the filibuster could be detrimental to both Texas and the nation, the shifting political landscape requires reevaluation. He faces a closely contested primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 26.
“As circumstances evolve, leaders have a duty to reassess and adjust,” Cornyn asserted.
He urged his fellow legislators to consider “any necessary modifications” to pass critical legislation aimed at fortifying U.S. elections and to facilitate the reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.
Among his suggestions was implementing a “talking filibuster,” compelling senators to maintain active debate to stall legislative voting.
Under current Senate rules, most proposals fail without securing 60 votes due to the “cloture rule.” However, the proposed talking filibuster could allow bills to advance with a simple majority of 51 votes once the debate ceases.
“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,” the Republican wrote. “But they say openly that if these same rules ever get in Democrats’ way, they won’t hesitate to rip them up … A rule is only a rule if both sides follow it.
“I believe that Democrats, with their votes and statements, have already dealt the filibuster a fatal blow: The Senate rules will change eventually, whether Republicans like it or not.”
Last week, as rumors swirled that Trump was about to endorse Cornyn in the runoff and ask Paxton to quit the Senate race, the challenger said that he would drop out if the upper chamber scrapped the filibuster and passed the SAVE America Act, which requires would-be voters in federal elections to present documentary proof of US citizenship when registering to cast ballots.
The bill passed the House last month, but is stalled in the Senate in the face of universal Democratic opposition.
Over the weekend, President Trump threatened not to sign any more bills until the Senate passed the SAVE America Act.
In remarks to House Republicans in Doral, Fla. Monday, the president praised them for passing the “common sense” bill, while saying Democratic lawmakers opposed it ‘because they know if we get this, they probably won’t win an election for 50 years.”
“I spent years defending the filibuster because the 60-vote threshold was a net benefit to Texas and our nation,” wrote Cornyn, who spent six years as the Senate GOP whip under party leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “Before moderate Democrats went extinct, the rules worked.”
“The Democrats’ recklessness and radicalism have changed the landscape,” he concluded. “On these critical issues, at this critical hour, the old procedures no longer align with the core American principles we must defend.”
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) insisted to reporters Tuesday that “the votes aren’t there” among the GOP to change the Senate rules, which can be done by a simple majority vote.
“It’s just a reality,” Thune said. “I’m the person who has to deliver, sometimes, the not-so-good news that the math doesn’t add up, but those are the facts, and there’s no getting around it.”
