Kennedy Urges GOP To Use Budget Reconciliation To Pass SAVE Act
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) is urging Republicans to pursue a dramatic procedural shift to pass the SAVE America Act — by using budget reconciliation to bypass a Democratic filibuster and approve the bill with a simple majority.
Under current plans, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has scheduled the SAVE America Act for consideration as standard legislation, meaning it would require 60 votes to invoke cloture and overcome a filibuster. With Republicans holding 53 seats, at least seven Democrats would need to join them.
Kennedy argues that approach is unnecessary. Speaking on the Senate floor, Kennedy said Republicans should attempt to pass the measure through reconciliation — a parliamentary process created under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that allows certain budget-related legislation to pass with just 50 votes plus the vice president.
That means, if structured properly, the bill could pass with unified Republican support and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.
“That’s how we passed the one big, beautiful bill,” Kennedy said, referencing prior GOP legislation enacted over Democratic opposition. He also noted that Democrats used reconciliation in 2021 to pass the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on a party-line vote.
Kennedy acknowledged that reconciliation is not simple.
“Anything you propose through reconciliation has to be paid for. We can find the money,” he said. “And anything you pass through reconciliation has to conform with the contours of the Budget Control Act. We call that giving a provision a Byrd bath.”
The so-called Byrd Rule limits reconciliation to provisions directly tied to federal spending, revenue, or the debt limit. Measures considered “extraneous” — meaning their budgetary impact is merely incidental to policy changes — can be struck by the Senate parliamentarian.
“Our parliamentarian decides what passes muster under the Budget Control Act and what doesn’t,” Kennedy said.
He urged Republican leadership to enlist legal experts to draft a version of the SAVE Act that could survive what he described as the “Byrd bath.”
“We have yet to try going to these smart lawyers … and saying, ‘Craft us a SAVE Act that will pass muster under the Budget Control Act and can be blessed by the parliamentarian,’” Kennedy said.
Some senators have expressed skepticism that the bill’s election-policy provisions could qualify under reconciliation rules. Kennedy pushed back on that pessimism.
“I’ve been here 10 years. I’ve seen things pass muster — survive a Byrd bath — that I didn’t think had a hope in hell,” he said. “And I’ve seen provisions fail … that I thought were slam dunks.”
“You don’t know until you try,” he added.
The SAVE America Act, supported by President Donald Trump, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, mandate photo identification at polling places, and restrict mail-in ballots to specific circumstances such as military service, illness, disability, or travel.
Conservatives argue the bill is essential to restoring public trust in elections. Critics say documented cases of non-citizen voting are rare and warn that stricter requirements could burden eligible voters.
Frustration among Republican activists has grown as the bill faces procedural hurdles. Last year, when the Senate parliamentarian ruled against a Medicaid-related provision in a separate GOP bill, some conservative leaders criticized the unelected official’s influence over legislative outcomes.
Kennedy stopped short of calling for rule changes or removal of the parliamentarian, instead emphasizing that the Senate should test the limits of reconciliation before conceding defeat.
“If this bill is as important as everybody says it is — and I think it is, because we’re not just talking about voting, we’re talking about the confidence, the trust of the American people in our elections — we should try it through reconciliation,” he said.
Whether leadership adopts Kennedy’s strategy remains uncertain. But his proposal signals escalating pressure within the Republican conference to use every available procedural tool to advance the administration’s election-integrity agenda — even if it means reshaping the legislative battlefield.
BANNED' - Clinton Judge Reads Her Verdict - President Donald Trump Has Been Informed That He Just Beat Gavin Newsom...
JUDICIAL RECKONING
The return of national sovereignty and administrative lethality reached a new milestone this Thursday, April 9, 2026. A blockbuster ruling in Los Angeles has left the DNC establishment and globalist elite reeling.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against California’s controversial "No Secret Police Act," blocking the state from prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks. Judge Christina Snyder ruled the law unconstitutional, marking a decisive victory for President Donald J. Trump and the Department of Justice.
The court affirmed the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, stating California cannot discriminate against federal officers while exempting its own law enforcement. Attorney General Pamela Bondi praised the ruling, emphasizing the administration’s zero-tolerance stance on harassment of federal agents.
This decision reflects the 2026 mandate: a legal framework prioritizing the safety of American officers over the sanctuary policies pushed by Governor Gavin Newsom. It signals a sweeping rollback of state overreach in immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a federal jury delivered historic terrorism convictions against nine members of a radical antifa cell. The group was found guilty for a violent 2025 attack on an ICE detention facility that left a police officer shot in the neck.
Ringleader Benjamin Song faces potential life imprisonment after evidence proved the attack was a coordinated assault using explosives and rifles—not the “noise demonstration” the defense claimed. Prosecutors called the verdict a landmark affirmation of Trump’s domestic terror designation.
With Kash Patel at the FBI and Todd Blanche at the DOJ, the dismantling of extremist cells has accelerated. Federal agencies continue to secure detention centers like Prairieland against those attempting to destabilize the republic.
Governor Gavin Newsom attempted to spin the court ruling as a “win,” citing the upheld “No Vigilantes Act.” But the truth remains: the centerpiece of his anti-ICE agenda—the “No Secret Police Act”—has been effectively struck down.
The defeat exposes the weakening foundation of California’s sanctuary policies. While Sacramento prioritizes the “civil rights” of illegal aliens, the Trump administration is defending the constitutional rights of federal officers.
The week closes as a sweeping administrative triumph for the Trump-GOP platform. From Los Angeles courtrooms to Texas jury boxes, real results—not rhetoric—are forging the 2026 midterm shield.
With 5% GDP growth and a secure border, the nation is reclaiming its stability and sovereignty. America moves forward with vigilance, resolve, and a renewed commitment to law and order.
God bless the USA—and the leaders who refuse to bow to the swamp or the radical mob.
oFar Left 'Squad' Member Learns Her Fate As Her Primary Election is Called
Washington D.C. — The far-left “Squad” took another massive hit Tuesday night as Missouri Democrat Rep. Cori Bush was soundly defeated in her primary by challenger Wesley Bell, who led by double digits with 54.9% to Bush’s 41.8%.
Bush, one of the most extreme voices in Congress, joins Rep. Jamaal Bowman as the second Squad member to lose her seat this cycle. Her defeat is a clear rejection of the radical socialist, anti-police, pro-Hamas agenda she has pushed since entering Congress in 2021.
Bush rose to prominence after participating in the Ferguson riots and has spent years promoting false narratives about Michael Brown while calling for defunding the police — even as violent crime soared in her St. Louis district. She has repeatedly aligned herself with pro-Hamas protesters, blamed Israel for the October 7 massacre, and faced controversy over allegedly funneling thousands of campaign dollars to her husband for “security services” while demanding less police protection for her constituents.
Republicans celebrated the win with well-deserved mockery. Pro-Trump comedian Terrance K. Williams posted:
“A ‘BLACK JOB’ IS SOMETHING CORI BUSH DOES NOT HAVE. OH HAPPY DAY! She is the second Squad member to lose her seat! I can’t wait until they are all gone.”
Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, who served with Bush on the House Judiciary Committee, sarcastically noted:
“I will miss Cori Bush missing every committee meeting.”
Students for Trump co-founder Ryan Fournier added:
“The Squad’s Cori Bush has LOST her primary. Join me in saying GOOD RIDDANCE! Hamas might be hiring, Cori!”
Even actor Michael Rapaport, a vocal Israel supporter, celebrated:
“Tonight at the rally they said let’s bring back ‘JOY’ to politics and boom CORI BUSH is done with Politics…. I feel JOY all of a sudden.”
This is the second straight blow to the radical Squad. Jamaal Bowman lost his primary earlier after endorsing pro-Hamas demonstrators on college campuses. Both Bush and Bowman blamed their defeats on pro-Israel funding from AIPAC rather than admitting the truth: their extreme, anti-American, and anti-Israel positions have become toxic to voters.
The radical left’s Squad is crumbling because the American people are rejecting their agenda of defunding police, embracing socialism, supporting radical Islamists, and putting foreign interests above American citizens. Voters want secure borders, safe streets, strong economy, and leaders who put America First — not performative radicals who miss committee meetings and push policies that hurt their own districts.
Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the Republican Party is becoming the party of working Americans, law and order, and common sense. Meanwhile, the Democrat Party continues its death spiral — hemorrhaging voters, losing favorability, and watching its most extreme members get rejected at the ballot box.
Cori Bush’s defeat is not just a loss for one radical congresswoman. It is a rejection of the entire Squad’s toxic ideology. The American people are waking up and choosing sanity over socialism, strength over weakness, and America First over America Last.
More Squad members are on the ballot soon. The trend is clear: radicalism is losing, and the America First movement is winning.
