Sen. Thom Tillis condemned efforts to eliminate or alter the Senate filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, calling the idea "foolish and lazy." He warned a proposed "talking filibuster" could hand control of the Senate floor to Democrats and be used to block nominees and force endless votes. Tillis noted the bill — which would require voter ID and proof of citizenship — lacks the 60 votes needed and raised concerns about its impact on states that rely on mail-in ballots. He urged bipartisan talks to develop broadly supported election-integrity measures instead.
Tillis Calls Scrapping Filibuster To Pass SAVE America Act 'Foolish And Lazy,' Warns It Would Hand Control To Democrats
Senator Thom Tillis speaks to members of the media in February. - Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
Sen. Thom Tillis on Thursday sharply criticized proposals to eliminate or alter the Senate filibuster in order to force passage of the SAVE America Act, calling such moves a "foolish and lazy" short-term tactic that would hand control of the Senate floor to Democrats.
The retiring North Carolina Republican made his remarks as the Senate engaged in marathon debate over the legislation — a bill that would require voters to present identification and proof of U.S. citizenship for federal elections but currently lacks the 60 votes needed to pass.
"I have made it crystal clear that I will never vote to do this. Eliminating the filibuster is a foolish and lazy idea pushed by politicians seeking short-term gain at the expense of causing irreparable long-term harm to our nation," Tillis said in a statement.
Tillis warned that proposals for a so-called "talking filibuster" — which would require continuous floor debate to sustain opposition rather than the modern silent filibuster — could backfire. He said such a change would effectively give Senate Democrats control of the floor, allowing them to stall confirmations and force repeated votes on measures they oppose.
"A 'talking filibuster' would effectively make Chuck Schumer the new Senate Majority Leader, allowing Democrats to block every single Trump judge and executive branch nominee, and allow them to force endless votes on anything they want. Democrats would control the floor of the U.S. Senate until the end of the year," Tillis warned.
Although Tillis co-sponsored an earlier version of the SAVE America Act, he argued this iteration could unintentionally harm voters in more rural states that rely heavily on mail-in ballots. "While I support strengthening mail-in ballot integrity, many states like Utah, Florida, Alaska, and Montana rely on the use of mail-in ballots to conduct their elections, and we should not be completely upending how states already securely conduct their elections," he said.
Ultimately, Tillis said spending Senate time on a bill without the necessary votes is counterproductive. He urged bipartisan negotiations to build broad support for election-security measures such as universal voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements rather than changing Senate rules to force a result.
Context: The SAVE America Act is among President Trump’s legislative priorities. Proponents say it would tighten election security; critics argue parts of the bill could restrict access for some voters. With the Senate narrowly divided, the measure faces long odds unless supporters change longstanding filibuster rules — a step Tillis and others oppose.
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