Kennedy Urges GOP To Use Budget Reconciliation To Pass SAVE Act
Kennedy Urges GOP To Use Budget Reconciliation To Pass SAVE Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) is calling for a major tactical shift in the fight for election integrity, urging Senate Republicans to bypass a looming Democrat filibuster by passing the SAVE America Act through the budget reconciliation process.
Speaking from the Senate floor, Kennedy argued that the current path—a standard legislative vote requiring 60 signatures—is a "guaranteed dead end" given uniform Democrat opposition. Instead, he is pushing leadership to leverage the same simple-majority maneuver used to pass the landmark "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBBA) in 2025.
The Strategy: "Math, Not Magic"
With Republicans holding 53 seats, Kennedy noted that a reconciliation bill would only require 51 votes, with Vice President JD Vance available to break any ties. This would strip Senate Democrats of their primary weapon: the 60-vote cloture threshold.
The Model: Kennedy pointed to the OBBBA (Public Law 119-21), signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025, which used reconciliation to enact massive tax cuts and $150 billion in border security funding.
The Goal: Incorporate the SAVE Act’s proof-of-citizenship requirements and national voter ID mandates into a new reconciliation package that also includes additional funding for ICE and defense.
Navigating the "Byrd Bath"
The primary hurdle for Kennedy’s plan is the Byrd Rule, which prohibits "extraneous" policy changes that do not have a direct impact on the federal budget. Provisions that fail this test are referred to as "Byrd droppings" and are stripped from the bill by the Senate Parliamentarian.
Kennedy remains undeterred, urging the GOP to enlist "the smartest lawyers in the room" to frame the SAVE Act as a budgetary necessity. He argued that the cost of administering elections and the federal oversight required for citizenship verification provide the "fiscal hook" needed to survive a Byrd bath.
“I’ve seen things pass muster that I didn’t think had a hope in hell,” Kennedy remarked. “You don’t know until you try, and we haven't tried.”
Leadership Skepticism and Pressure
While the proposal has energized the MAGA base, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has remained a "clear-eyed realist" regarding the math. Thune has prioritized a standard floor debate to put Democrats on the record, though he has not ruled out reconciliation as a long-term secondary option.
The pressure on Thune is intensifying as President Trump continues to label the SAVE Act his "top legislative priority," even threatening to block other must-pass legislation until the voting bill reaches his desk.
As the Senate prepares for a critical vote-a-rama before the spring recess, Kennedy’s proposal has turned the "Byrd Rule" into the next major battlefield for the 2026 election cycle. Whether the Parliamentarian allows a voting bill to be "cleaned" in a Byrd bath remains the $3 trillion question in Washington.
BREAKING: U.S. House of Representatives Unanimously Pass Bill 424-0 - President Donald Trump Is Waiting For It as House Passes...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a moment of historic and overwhelming unity that has silenced even the most vocal critics of the 119th Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 424-0 this week to pass a sweeping legislative mandate for America’s most decorated warriors. The bill, which now moves to the Senate with the full weight of a unanimous House behind it, will quadruple the pensions of Medal of Honor recipients, signaling a profound shift in how the nation honors its living legends during this period of
Kennedy Urges GOP To Use Budget Reconciliation To Pass SAVE Act
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., in his patented off-the-cuff, southern style, urged the "smart lawyers" in Congress and beyond to rework the SAVE America Act to pass Senate parliamentarian "muster," so it can move to law with a simple budget reconciliation majority.
"You don't know till you try, and we haven't tried," Kennedy said Wednesday night during the brief Senate debate window on the federal election integrity bill seeking voter I.D., proof of citizenship, vetted voter rolls and mail-in ballot reforms.
"And if this bill is as important as everybody says it is — and I think it is because we're not just talking about voting; we're talking about the confidence, the trust of the American people in our elections if — this bill is as important as we say it is, we should try it through reconciliation."
Kennedy admitted he is "in the minority on this," but joked that "sometimes the majority just means all the fools are on the same side."
SENATE GOP EYES BLAME GAME AS TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT HEADS FOR DEFEAT
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is urging the Senate to craft the SAVE America Act into a budget reconciliation bill passable by a simple majority instead of the 60-vote filibuster. (Anna Moneymaker / POOL / AFP)
"Sometimes someone in the minority can be right," he said, noting Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs even more convincing on budget reconciliation than he needed to bring this week's limited debate to the Senate floor on what could be President Donald Trump's signature election integrity law.
There are enough "smart lawyers" in the U.S. to find a budget reconciliation form of the bill, according to Kennedy.
"I haven't convinced Sen. Thune to that," he said. "I haven't convinced all my colleagues on either side of the aisle. But, I plan on continuing to chase them like they stole Thanksgiving and Christmas put together."
The bill might have to overcome Democrat filibuster in the next week before the Senate's Easter recess, particularly amid the new urgency on other Senate priorities, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., moving to a full Senate vote to confirm him as the next Department of Homeland Security secretary.
The Senate can debate Mullin's nomination as the SAVE America Act debate remains open, but it will be more complex than the normal confirmation process and take a few extra procedural votes, senior GOP sources told Fox News on Thursday.
The Senate procedure tends to be complex, but nothing a few "smart lawyers" cannot navigate, according to Kennedy.
"Anything you pass through reconciliation has to conform with the contours of the Budget Control Act: We call that giving a provision a 'Byrd bath,'" Kennedy said. "And our parliamentarian decides what passes muster under the Budget Control Act."
Kennedy dropped an "Oliver Wendell Scalia" challenge on the professed "smart lawyers" around Washington, referencing two of the most influential (and stylistically similar) Supreme Court justices in American history: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. and Antonin Scalia.
"We've got a lot of smart lawyers in the United States Senate: Every single one of them thinks they're Oliver Wendell Scalia," Kennedy said. "But we've got a lot of other smart lawyers in America.
"Here's what I'm getting at: We have yet to try going to these smart lawyers, some in the Senate — and some, believe it or not, not in the Senate — and saying, 'craft us a SAVE act that will pass muster under the Budget Control Act and can be blessed by the parliamentarian."
The bill being most actively pushed by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, faces the tall 60-vote hurdle in the Senate, with Republicans holding just a 53-47 majority. The 45 Democrats and the two independents that caucus with them almost always obstruct any Trump agenda item.
But why fight the obstruction, Kennedy urged, just do an end run around it.
Some of my colleagues, those Oliver Wendell Scalia types, they say, 'Kennedy, you know that you'll never be able to do that': They don't know!" Kennedy said. "I've been here 10 years: I've seen things pass muster, survive a bird bath that I didn't think had a hope in hell.
"And I've seen provisions pass the parliamentarians' judgment under a Byrd bath," he continued, also admitting, "I've seen them not pass that I thought were slam dunks."
Lee hosted an X Spaces briefing late Wednesday night, dispelling the "lies" put forth by filibustering Democrats.
"I've listened carefully to hours upon hours of the Democrats’ arguments against it I have yet to hear a single argument that I cannot refute — and in fact have not refuted on the Senate floor in the last 24 hours," Lee wrote on X. "Even worse, most of their arguments are based on a profoundly indefensible mischaracterization of my bill."
John Kennedy’s Latest Comments Have Reopened the Epstein Debate in a Big Way
John Kennedy’s Latest Comments Have Reopened the Epstein Debate in a Big Way
Sen. Kennedy Raises New Concerns About Epstein Case Amid Ongoing Tensions
“Ornaments, Drywall, and Epstein”: Senator Kennedy Slams “Shady” Investigation as FBI Director Faces Heated Grill over Trump and Sex Trafficking Files
The halls of Congress became the staging ground for a high-stakes battle over truth, accountability, and the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein this week. In a series of explosive testimonies that have sent shockwaves through social media, the Director of the FBI and officials from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) were subjected to a blistering interrogation by lawmakers who reflect the deep-seated skepticism of the American public. The central theme was clear: the official narrative surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein is failing the test of public trust, and the demand for transparency regarding his co-conspirators has reached a fever pitch.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, known for his sharp wit and folksy but lethal metaphors, set the tone for the proceedings with a remark that immediately went viral. “Christmas ornaments, drywall, and Jerry Epstein—name three things that don’t hang themselves,” Kennedy quipped, succinctly capturing the prevailing sentiment of millions of Americans. His opening salvo wasn’t just a clever line; it was a direct challenge to the Bureau of Prisons’ finding that Epstein’s death in August 2019 was a simple suicide. Kennedy emphasized that the American people “deserve some answers” and urged officials not to rush the investigation, but to treat it with the “top priority” it warrants.
The testimony of Dr. Sawyer, representing the BOP, revealed the systemic failures that allowed such a high-profile prisoner to perish while under federal watch. When questioned about the specifics of Epstein’s confinement, Sawyer admitted that the death of such a high-profile individual indicates either a “major malfunction of the system or criminal enterprise.” He described the tiers of suicide watch, explaining that while Epstein had been on a strict watch initially—stripped of everything but a mattress and a coarse gown—the system failed when he was moved to “psychological observation.” Despite claims that inmates on such observation are “watched and scrutinized every moment,” Epstein was reportedly alone and unmonitored at the time of his death.
The emotional core of the hearing focused on the victims—the women and girls who were raped and trafficked by Epstein and his associates. Lawmakers argued that Epstein’s death wasn’t just a prison failure; it was a theft of justice. By allowing Epstein to die before he could testify against his co-conspirators, the “bastard” was able to protect his circle from beyond the grave, leaving his victims with their “hearts ripped out.” The Director was criticized for the “management matter” of treating Epstein like any other inmate, with senators arguing that someone with his level of information should have been the highest priority for protection to ensure the integrity of future criminal investigations.
As the focus shifted to the FBI’s role, the tension escalated into a near-total breakdown of decorum. The Director was grilled on the “Epstein files” and the specific mention of high-profile names, including Donald Trump. In a series of evasive maneuvers, the Director claimed he had not reviewed the entirety of the files personally, despite it being the “largest sex trafficking case the FBI has ever been a part of.” When pushed to provide a number of times Trump’s name appeared in the documents, the Director refused to give a specific count, stating only that “it’s not a thousand” and “it’s not a hundred,” while accusing lawmakers of engaging in “political innuendo.”
The exchange turned personal and vitriolic as the Director defended his record, citing his work in reducing crime and child trafficking, while lawmakers accused him of “hiding pedophiles” and playing a “cute shell game” with the law. Reference was made to Judge Richard Berman, who previously noted that the information released to the public “pales in comparison” to the materials held by the Department of Justice. The hearing concluded with a dramatic refusal by the Director to recuse himself from investigations involving individuals he had previously labeled “government gangsters” in his own book, leading to a final, bitter standoff over the “disgrace” of the proceedings.
This hearing has made one thing undeniably certain: the Epstein saga is far from over. As technology like drone drops and advanced surveillance cameras become the new frontline for prison security, the focus remains on the old-fashioned failures of human oversight and the potential for deep-seated corruption. For the victims, the wait for the “entire truth” continues, as the wall of government secrecy remains stubbornly intact.
Panic Behind the Scenes? New Claims Put Pete Hegseth Under Heavy Scrutiny
Hegseth in Panic Mode as Troops Revolt and Leak Damaging Photos He Tried to Keep Hidden
Troops in Revolt: Leaked ‘Nightmare’ Photos Reveal Starvation and Chaos Under Pete Hegseth’s Leadership
In the high-stakes theater of American defense, the image of the stoic, well-supplied soldier is a cornerstone of national pride. However, a series of explosive leaks from within the ranks of the U.S. Navy and the Pentagon has shattered that facade, painting a devastating picture of a military in crisis. At the center of this storm is Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose tenure is now being defined not by strategic brilliance, but by a “nightmare” scenario of logistical collapse, plummeting morale, and an unprecedented revolt from the very troops he is tasked with leading.
The crisis reached a fever pitch this week as service members aboard major aircraft carriers, including the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford, began leaking photos of the meals they are being served. These images, which have quickly gone viral, show “grim meals” consisting of dry patties, plastic-looking carrots, and a single tortilla on otherwise empty plastic trays. One sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln described the situation in stark terms: “The food is tasteless and there’s not nearly enough and they’re hungry all the time.” For a military that prides itself on being the best-fed and best-equipped force in the world, these revelations are a staggering indictment of current leadership.
The logistical failure extends beyond the galley. Families of service members are reporting a total breakdown in the military postal system, with the U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspending mail delivery to 27 military zip codes. Parents have spent thousands of dollars on care packages that sit in transit with no clear delivery timeline, leaving their children to ration what little food they have. One mother from Texas, whose son is aboard the USS Tripoli, shared that her family has spent over $2,000 on supplies that have never reached him, forcing sailors to “ration and share food” just to get by.
In the face of these failures, Secretary Hegseth has reportedly spiraled into a state of panic. Rather than addressing the systemic issues within his department, Hegseth has taken to the public stage to attack the media, labeling journalists as “Pharisees” and accusing them of having “hardened hearts” calibrated only to impugn his leadership. Critics argue that this aggressive rhetoric is a desperate attempt to deflect attention from his own unpopularity and the growing dissatisfaction within the MAGA wing of the Pentagon. Recent data suggests that Hegseth is uniquely unpopular, sitting 30 points underwater in net popularity—a sharp contrast to historical figures like Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney during similar conflicts.
The tension is further amplified by reports that Hegseth fears he is on Donald Trump’s “chopping block.” His public outbursts and constant “ass-kissing” of the President are seen by many as a survival tactic to avoid being fired in the middle of the escalating conflict with Iran.Meanwhile, the contrast between the treatment of troops and high-profile criminals has become a flashpoint for public anger. Social media users have pointed out that sex criminal Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly “eating better” in her “five-star resort” prison than our men and women in uniform, who are being sent to risk their lives in a war many feel serves the interests of the elite “Epstein class” rather than American citizens.
As Donald Trump gears up for a $1.5 trillion defense budget, the question of where that money is going has become central to the debate. While billions are earmarked for tech giants and AI development, the basic needs of the frontline defenders—food, mail, and morale—are being ignored. The leaked photos from the ships are more than just a complaint about “slop”; they are a cry for help from a military that feels abandoned by its civilian leaders.
The situation under Pete Hegseth is no longer just a matter of political disagreement; it is a full-scale revolt fueled by the most basic of human needs. As morale reaches an all-time low and the “holy war” narrative fails to satisfy hungry stomachs, the pressure on the Pentagon to change course is reaching a breaking point. For the families of those serving, the message is clear: our service members deserve so much better than this.
