Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is intensifying pressure on Senate colleagues to advance the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed election integrity bill that would mandate proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to vote in federal elections.
The bill passed the House on a party-line vote and faces a difficult path in the Senate, where Democrats can block it under existing filibuster rules requiring 60 votes to end debate.
In a series of posts on X, Lee urged GOP senators to revive the talking filibuster — a traditional form of extended debate — to bring the measure to a vote without abolishing the 60-vote threshold.
"Enforce the Talking Filibuster," Lee wrote Sunday on X. "Slay the Zombie.
"Baby steps to SAVE America ... becoming giant leaps."
He doubled down in follow-ups.
"My friend @SenatorHagerty gets it: We must sideline the Zombie Filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act," Lee added on X, linking to video of a TV appearance by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. "We need all Republican senators on the same page.
"If you agree, please spread the word."
Earlier this weekend, Lee hailed Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as the 50th Senate Republican co-sponsor of the bill written by Lee and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. The measure builds on the House-passed SAVE Act by adding a voter ID requirement.
"The SAVE America Act makes our original SAVE Act better," Lee and Roy wrote in a statement, unveiling the bill that passed the House this past week. "President [Donald] Trump rightly believes we should include Voter ID in this bill as we make a renewed push to secure our elections and protect the rights of American voters.
"By requiring Voter ID and proof-of-citizenship, the SAVE America Act will ensure that our federal elections are decided by U.S. citizens — and U.S. citizens alone."
Under current Senate rules, most legislation cannot be voted on unless debate is closed, a process known as invoking cloture — which typically requires 60 votes out of 100. If cloture fails, opponents can indefinitely delay a bill's progression.
The talking filibuster is a historical version of the filibuster in which senators must physically hold the floor and speak continuously to maintain an objection to a bill. This was how debate was traditionally conducted before procedural changes in the 20th century reduced it to a largely silent obstruction tactic.
Lee and fellow conservatives argue the modern filibuster functions as what he calls a "zombie filibuster" — a procedural tool that lets senators block legislation without actively debating it on the floor, effectively giving a minority of 41 senators veto power over most major bills.
"Where do your senators stand on setting aside the Zombie Filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act?" Lee asked Sunday night on X.
Reviving the talking filibuster would force opponents to actively obstruct if they want to delay a bill, potentially wearing down resistance and allowing a vote with a simple majority once debate concludes, Lee argued this weekend.
Critics of the current filibuster note that modern practice often involves no actual floor speeches; senators can sustain a filibuster simply by signaling opposition or using procedural tactics to block cloture. Lee and others describe this as "filibustering without effort," arguing it has morphed from a tool for robust debate into a mechanism for silent obstruction.
By calling for enforcement of older Senate debate rules — requiring active participation to sustain an objection — Lee says Republicans could effectively "slay the zombie" and bring the SAVE America Act to a floor vote without scrapping the filibuster entirely.
Despite Lee's push, Senate procedural reforms remain uncertain. Some Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins, support the SAVE America Act but oppose changes to filibuster rules, highlighting the challenge ahead for Lee's strategy.
Newsmax's Eric Mack contributed to this report.
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