Ted Cruz Blames 4 to 6 Republican Senators for Stalled SAVE America Act

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas blamed members of his own party for the stalled SAVE America Act in an episode of his podcast Verdict released Friday. He said four to six Republican senators are holding out and, separately, that several who lost their primaries no longer heed President Donald Trump.

The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Some conservatives are frustrated that it has stalled, Cruz said, days before the midterm elections.

"Look, I'm frustrated we haven't passed the Save America Act. I'm an original sponsor of it. I've been fighting tooth and nail. We haven't had the numbers. We haven't been able to get to 50," Cruz said.

Ben Ferguson Prompts the 'Disgruntled Senators' Framing

Co-host Ben Ferguson brought up departing senators first. "Yeah, remind them why we can't get to 50. There's some disgruntled senators that are about to just be gone. That's what's part of what's been holding us up," Ferguson said.

"We have 53 Republicans in the Senate and they're anywhere from four to six Republicans who are no. And there are several Republicans who have been beaten in primaries, who are unhappy about it, who are not coming back to the Senate, and who frankly don't really care what President Trump says to them." — Ted Cruz

"I don't like it, but I don't have the ability to turn 49 into 50," he added. Cruz did not name any senator.

What the Senate Record Shows

In April, an amendment from Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana to attach the SAVE America Act to a reconciliation bill funding the Department of Homeland Security failed 48-50. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted no along with every Democrat. That is four, the low end of Cruz's range.

Outside reconciliation, the bill needs 60 votes to beat a filibuster. Republicans do not have them, and Tillis has said he will "never vote" to eliminate the filibuster, calling the idea "foolish and lazy."

Vice President JD Vance made a similar count last month. "The problem is not with who's in the chair. The problem is that you have four or five Republicans," Vance said, the Daily Caller reported. The outlet reported that Vance named McConnell, Cornyn, Tillis and Murkowski.

The Primary Losers

Cruz spoke of "several" Republicans beaten in primaries. Two Republican senators lost primaries this year. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana finished third on May 16 after Trump endorsed Representative Julia Letlow. Senator John Cornyn of Texas lost to Ken Paxton on May 26 by 27 points. (On the show, Cruz said 28.)

Neither Cassidy nor Cornyn voted against the April amendment. None of the four Republicans who did lost a primary. Two of them are leaving voluntarily: Tillis announced his retirement in June 2025, and McConnell told the Associated Press in February 2025 that "my current term in the Senate will be my last."

Cruz Warns of a Democratic 'S-1'

Cruz told conservatives that staying home would be "the number one way to guarantee it never, ever passes into law." He warned that a "55-45 Democrat Senate" would pass a bill that, according to Cruz, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York files first in every Congress. "It is S-1," Cruz said. "Every Democrat supports it." He added: "In Texas, for example, we have photo ID. The Democrats want to make that illegal."

In the 118th Congress, the last time Democrats controlled the Senate, S. 1 was the Freedom to Vote Act. Its lead sponsor was Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, not Schumer. She introduced it on July 25, 2023, with 50 cosponsors, Schumer among them. Together they made up all 51 senators in the Democratic caucus at the time, so on that bill Cruz's "every Democrat" holds up. The bill went to the Rules Committee and never became law.

The bill includes a section titled "Voter identification and allowable alternatives." Reviewing the 2021 version of the Freedom to Vote Act, PolitiFact found that it "doesn't ban a state from having a voter ID law." States that require ID would have to accept more than a dozen forms of it, including utility bills, bank cards and gun and fishing licenses. A voter without any of those could present a sworn statement from an adult vouching for their identity.

What Happens Next

Tillis, McConnell, Cassidy and Cornyn leave in January whatever happens Tuesday. If Republicans keep control, the question becomes whether their replacements will vote to change the filibuster. Murkowski would still be there, and so would Collins if she wins. Cruz did not say whether he thinks the new conference would get the bill to 50.