A Republican intraparty clash broke out on social media between Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) over the SAVE Act, with Cornyn arguing the bill lacks the votes to advance and warning that GOP infighting is damaging the party’s political prospects.
Cornyn, who is serving his final months in the Senate after losing his Texas primary to Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has increasingly used his platform to criticize party strategy and leadership.
The exchange began with Lee pressing colleagues to stay focused on passing the legislation through sustained effort, even if it required time-consuming procedural work and internal discipline.
The SAVE Act, which would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, passed in the House earlier this year, but remains stalled in the Senate. Cornyn rejected the idea that more effort alone could move the legislation forward, framing the fight as a matter of math.
“Mike, I am a co-sponsor and have repeatedly voted for this but you don’t have the votes,” Cornyn wrote. “[Senate Majority] @LeaderJohnThune can’t change that. It is math.”
He added that Republicans should focus their fire on Democrats rather than internal disputes. “Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November,” he wrote.
In his earlier post, Lee had urged Republicans to stay unified behind leadership and continue pushing the bill through sustained effort.
“We will not regret putting in the hard work to pass the SAVE America Act—even though it will take weeks, requiring hard work,” Lee wrote. “We will regret not passing it.”
Cornyn then doubled down, rejecting the premise that procedural effort can substitute for votes and escalating his criticism of Republican messaging.
“That is how you pass legislation; not by creating unrealistic expectations; not by criticizing your own party leaders; not by creating a circular firing squad,” Cornyn added. “That helps Democrats.”
In remarks extending beyond the Senate floor and into recent interviews, Cornyn also took aim at GOP influencer Scott Presler, calling him a “grifter.”
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In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cornyn warned that Republicans and President Donald Trump are headed for a turbulent stretch and described the remainder of the term as a “bumpy ride,” while also accusing outside activists of pushing counterproductive messaging.
“It’s going to make things harder, certainly more expensive in Texas, and make it harder around the country,” Cornyn said. “I don’t say that with any sort of desire for vengeance; I just think that’s the way it’s going to be. He’s going to have the most miserable two years of his life in the last two years of his term, I think, because I think November is going to be a disaster.”