Digging in on opposition to election integrity legislation, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) suggested an alternative while cutting to the heart of the swamp’s aversion.
Ahead of plans to bring a version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to the Senate floor next week, Tillis joined fellow RINO Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) in chipping away at the GOP’s slim majority for a bill already viewed as doomed to fail.
Capturing his sentiment, Fox News reported the outgoing lawmaker as stating, “I’m a no. I’m going to do everything I can to prevent it from even moving forward.”
While convincing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to use the upper chamber’s rules to the advantage of Republicans in passing the bill supported by President Donald Trump, with measures backed by a vast majority of voters, appeared to be a non-starter, Tillis had elaborated on the political theater at play.
Saying the quiet part out loud, the North Carolina lawmaker expressed how the main concern of politicians is not passing legislation voters want, but rather grandstanding to bolster their re-election campaigns.
“You know, taking the language from the White House without understanding the state-by-state implications, politically and procedurally, just doesn’t sound like we’re letting the people at the tip of the spear — that’s these people running for re-election — define what we should be voting on next week,” said Tillis.
As he saw it, the alternative path forward involved Republicans proposing to incentivize states to pass their own legislation under threat of withheld federal funding, which would instead be used for election oversight. “Who could be against that? You know, and then rock on, California, if you want to enable ballot harvesting.”
“Make sure you do it on your nickels, because we’re going to spend the money to oversee the elections to make sure you did it legally,” added the senator.
Blame game for the anticipated failure of the SAVE America Act was in full force on Capitol Hill, as before Thune had confirmed he would bring a version of the bill up for a vote, he argued there was no path forward to get the bill passed.
“We don’t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, or sustain one if we got on it, but that’s just a function of math, and there isn’t anything I can do about that,” the leader said at a press conference.
The Federalist co-founder Sean Davis had broken down that math by contending “puke colleagues” like Tillis, Murkowski and others would maintain their opposition if the House-passed version were brought up for a vote, a bill he detailed would need only a simple majority rather than clearing the 60-vote threshold because it is privileged.
“So when you watch the GOP Senate bring up a brand new SAVE America Act bill and hold a single vote on a motion that needs 60 to pass,” said Davis, “know that they’re doing it because they think you’re stupid.”
As it happened, Thune announced from the Senate floor that a version of the bill would be brought to a vote next week, leading to him being called out for “gaslighting the American people” over his “laughable … show vote” while members of the House took their own stand to oppose any bills from the Senate until the SAVE America Act clears the upper chamber.
With all due respect, @LeaderJohnThune is gaslighting the American people.
He does not plan to force a talking filibuster, which means the SAVE America Act is dead on arrival in the Senate—no path to 60 votes, no real pressure on Democrats.
“Full, robust debate”? Laughable!… https://t.co/lPw8qjK6IJ
— Rep. Keith Self (@RepKeithSelf) March 12, 2026
The Senate will no longer have legislation passed until the SAVE America Act is passed and on the President’s desk.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) March 13, 2026
I’ll be voting “no” on all Senate bills – other than DHS funding – until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act.
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) March 13, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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