Senator John Cornyn has publicly sparred with conservative colleagues and activists on social media platform X over the SAVE America Act, a voter identification bill that faces significant opposition in the Senate. Cornyn, a co-sponsor of the bill, directly responded to Senator Mike Lee, a prominent supporter, stating that the bill "doesn’t have the votes to pass in the upper chamber."
Cornyn urged Lee to "focus on Democrats instead of Republicans," warning that "Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November." Lee, however, asserted that the bill has majority support and questioned Cornyn's framing of the situation as an attack. He also suggested Cornyn would not approve of how his name was being used in the debate.
The SAVE America Act requires individuals to present proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot, measures that proponents, including President Trump's camp, believe are necessary to prevent voter fraud. Conservative senators had previously occupied the Senate floor for over a week to advocate for the bill. President Trump has also called for reforming or eliminating the Senate filibuster to allow the bill to pass with a simple majority, a proposal that many Senate Republicans, including Cornyn, have opposed.
In a separate incident, Cornyn responded with the single word "Grifter" to a post by activist Scott Presler, who claimed to have encountered Cornyn at an airport and urged him to pass the SAVE America Act.
