Sen. Mike Lee BLASTS RINOs After Thune Admits Senate Republicans “NOT UNIFIED” on Talking Filibuster to Pass SAVE Act

The Republican establishment is at it again, and the grassroots are losing patience.

Despite a mandate from the American people to secure our elections, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) admitted on Wednesday that the Republican conference is “not unified” on using the talking filibuster to force a vote on the SAVE Act.

And one senator isn’t taking the disunity lightly.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) immediately blasted members of his own party for what he implied was silent obstruction of one of the GOP’s top election integrity priorities, calling on reluctant Republicans to stop hiding behind closed doors and make their opposition public.

Speaking to reporters amid the ongoing government shutdown, Thune acknowledged that Republicans currently lack the internal cohesion necessary to execute a procedural maneuver as aggressive as a talking filibuster to muscle the SAVE Act through the Senate.

Thune warned that pursuing such a strategy would require near-perfect unity across all 50 Republican senators to repeatedly table Democrat amendments.

He also emphasized that leadership is prioritizing reopening DHS before committing to the legislative brawl that a filibuster showdown over election law would almost certainly trigger.

JOHN THUNE:
There are a couple of things about that. One is, once we get on—if we were to go down that path—it’s very hard to pivot and get back to opening up the government. I frankly think we ought to.

We need to make sure the DHS, TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA—all those agencies—are funded. And so I’m hopeful there will be a breakthrough on that. That’s going to require some, obviously, cooperation from the Democrats, which we haven’t seen a lot of so far. But we want to get to the SAVE Act.

We also, as I mentioned, have got a housing bill that we can pivot back and forth to if we get a deal to open up the government. That’s harder to do once you’re in the throes of a talking filibuster. The talking filibuster issue is one on which there is not certainly a unified Republican conference and there would have to be.

If you go down that path, you’re talking about the need to table what are going to be numerous amendments and an ability to keep 50 Republicans unified pretty much on every single vote. And there isn’t support for doing that at this point.

As I’ve said, and we will, we will get on it, and we will have a vote on the SAVE Act. The context of that, the process in which we consider it, is still an open question, but one that we’re having conversations about. But clearly, there is not a unified position, at least among Republicans in the Senate.”

A reporter pressed Thune on whether the SAVE Act could ultimately be subject to the Senate’s 60-vote threshold:

Reporter: “But it sounds like that might be subject to a 60-vote threshold — is that what you’re saying?”
Thune: “I think that’s obviously a variable possibility.”

WATCH:

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) didn’t hold back. Taking to X, Lee called out his colleagues for their cowardice and demanded that those blocking the SAVE Act to come forward and make their case.

“Not unified on using the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act? It’s time to *get* unified.

We can’t afford the consequences of inaction.

GOP senators who aren’t supportive should identify themselves & make their case—rather than silently stalling.”

Not unified on using the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act?

It’s time to *get* unified

We can’t afford the consequences of inaction

GOP senators who aren’t supportive should identify themselves & make their case—rather than silently stalling

Share if you agree https://t.co/aLfITRYLRP

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 25, 2026

It can be recalled that Lee announced that he had secured 50 Senators to support the motion to proceed on the House-passed version of the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act).  Senator Lee laid out the exact roadmap to bypass the obstructionist swamp and get this bill across the finish line.

The strategy? The Talking Filibuster, which requires lawmakers to stand, speak, and publicly defend their obstruction.

It’s time for the “silent stallers” to listen to Senator Lee: Identify yourselves or get out of the way.

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