The fight over the SAVE Act has taken a colorful turn as Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) weighed in this Monday on the uphill battle to pass the proof-of-citizenship voting requirement. While House conservatives are threatening to stall government funding unless the bill is attached, Kennedy is keeping a cooler head, even as he acknowledges the chaos within his own party.
“I think that most Republicans would vote for it. I would,” Kennedy said during an interview on “The Will Cain Show.” However, he wasn’t shy about the internal friction making headlines. “Now, you know, we’ve got a few free-range chickens on the Republican side. We may have to gather them up.”
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The legislation, which mandates that states verify citizenship before registering voters for federal elections, is at the heart of a high-stakes game of chicken in D.C. A group of House Republicans, led by Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna, is demanding the bill be tied to the upcoming appropriations package—a “must-pass” bill to keep the government running.
This creates a massive headache for leadership, especially since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already branded the measure a “poison pill” and promised a filibuster.
Even with the 60-vote threshold looming in the Senate, Kennedy remains optimistic that the divide can be bridged.
“The question will be which, if any, Democrats would vote for it. I think we’d have to have some work to do there. But it’s not insurmountable,” he noted.
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That work will be difficult. When the House passed the bill back in April 2025, the 220-208 vote saw only four Democrats join the Republican majority. Supporters like Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) argue the bill is essential for the “legitimacy of our democratic institutions,” claiming a vast majority of Americans agree that only citizens should vote.
The plot thickened this week when President Donald Trump weighed in, urging lawmakers to pass the funding bill without the extra complications. This move essentially pulled the rug out from under the House conservatives who wanted to use the shutdown threat as leverage.
For now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is steering a middle course, promising to bring the SAVE Act to the floor eventually, but only after it clears the usual committee hurdles. Whether Kennedy can actually “gather up” enough support to bypass a filibuster remains the multi-billion-dollar question hanging over the Capitol.
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