Kennedy: I support the SAVE America Act 'unconditionally' ... called for the use of another reconciliation bill to pass the legislation
John Kennedy promises to support the SAVE America Act and commit to passing it using another reconciliation bill if necessary.
Occurrences
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) reaffirmed his support for the SAVE America Act and called for the use of another reconciliation bill to pass the legislation in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
I would include the SAVE Act as part of that reconciliation bill, as well. We wouldn’t need 60 votes. We wouldn’t need 55 votes. We’d only need 51 votes. We passed the One Big Beautiful Bill with 50 votes and the vice president breaking the tie. . . . I would go get a really smart lawyer and ask them to help us craft a SAVE Act that can survive a Byrd bath. I would do those two things in reconciliation or at least open up ICE through reconciliation.
"I would include the SAVE Act as part of that reconciliation bill, as well. We wouldn’t need 60 votes. We wouldn’t need 55 votes. We’d only need 51 votes. ... I would go get a really smart lawyer and ask them to help us craft a SAVE Act that can survive a Byrd bath. I would do those two things in reconciliation or at least open up ICE through reconciliation."
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is urging "smart lawyers" to rework the SAVE America Act to try to pass it with a simple budget reconciliation majority..."this bill is as important as we say it is, we should try it through reconciliation." ... "But, I plan on continuing to chase them like they stole Thanksgiving and Christmas put together."
I would include the SAVE Act as part of that reconciliation bill, as well. ... I would go get a really smart lawyer and ask them to help us craft a SAVE Act that can survive a Byrd bath. I would do those two things in reconciliation or at least open up ICE through reconciliation.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is urging "smart lawyers" to rework the SAVE America Act to try to pass it with a simple budget reconciliation majority, an idea he said does not have much support among his colleagues. ... "if this bill is as important as we say it is, we should try it through reconciliation." ... "I plan on continuing to chase them like they stole Thanksgiving and Christmas put together."
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) reaffirmed his support for the SAVE America Act and called for the use of another reconciliation bill to pass the legislation in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today reaffirmed his support for the SAVE America Act and called for the use of another reconciliation bill to pass the legislation in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Evidence
Sen. John Kennedy reaffirmed his unconditional support for the SAVE America Act and advocated for its passage through reconciliation to ensure election integrity.
Kennedy urged his colleagues to consider passing the SAVE America Act through reconciliation, emphasizing that only 51 votes would be needed.
Kennedy called on 'smart lawyers' to rework the SAVE America Act to pass Senate parliamentarian 'muster' for a simple majority passage through reconciliation.
Sen. John Kennedy urged Republicans to file a reconciliation bill and said, “I would include the SAVE Act as part of that reconciliation bill, as well. We wouldn’t need 60 votes... We’d only need 51 votes.”
Kennedy said, “I’m a cosponsor. I support it unconditionally,” and added, “If this bill is as important as we say it is, we should try it through reconciliation.”
Congress.gov lists H.R.7296 as introduced on 01/30/2026, with the latest action being referral to the House Committee on House Administration and a tracker status of Introduced.
The House Rules Committee page states that the House agreed to the rule on February 11, 2026 and shows the SAVE America Act text used on the floor, reflecting active consideration but not final enactment.
On June 5, 2026, the Senate rejected Vote 151 on S.Amdt. 5804 to S.Amdt. 5453 to S. 2. The amendment’s stated purpose was to ensure only citizens are registered to vote in federal elections and to require photo identification, matching the core SAVE America Act policy Kennedy backed for passage through reconciliation.
The Senate roll-call page records Vote 151 on June 5, 2026 as a motion to waive budgetary discipline for S.Amdt. 5804, whose purpose was to ensure only citizens are registered to vote in federal elections and require photo identification. The required majority was three-fifths, the result was Motion Rejected, and Kennedy voted Yea.
Congress.gov lists H.R.7296 as the SAVE America Act, introduced January 30, 2026, with latest action referral to the House Committee on House Administration and tracker status Introduced. The displayed legislative steps still show Passed House, Passed Senate, To President, and Became Law as incomplete.
Congress.gov lists S.1383 with latest action on February 12, 2026: message on House action received in Senate and at desk, with tracker status Passed House. The tracker still shows To President and Became Law as later, uncompleted steps.
The House Rules Committee page identifies S.1383 as the SAVE America Act and states the Rules Committee Print showed the text of H.R.7296, as introduced, with modifications. The rule was agreed to on February 11, 2026, setting up House consideration.
Kennedy’s Senate office said he urged colleagues to consider passing DHS funding and the SAVE America Act through reconciliation. Kennedy said he would include the SAVE Act in that reconciliation bill because it would need only 51 votes.
Kennedy’s Senate office said he reaffirmed support for the SAVE America Act and called for another reconciliation bill to pass it. Kennedy stated he was a cosponsor, supported it unconditionally, and planned to keep pressing colleagues to try reconciliation.
Assessments
Kennedy clearly supported the SAVE America Act, identified himself as a cosponsor, publicly urged using reconciliation, and voted for a related Senate amendment. But the promised outcome was passage, and the evidence shows the standalone bill and House-passed vehicle had not become law; the June 5, 2026 Senate reconciliation-style attempt was rejected. That supports a failed serious effort rather than fulfillment.
Kennedy clearly supported the SAVE America Act and pushed for a reconciliation path, but the promised outcome was not achieved. The bill was introduced and considered procedurally, yet it did not become law, and the June 5, 2026 Senate vote blocked the related amendment path. That is a serious attempt by Kennedy, but not delivery of the promised passage.
The promised outcome was support for the SAVE America Act and a commitment to pass it through another reconciliation bill if necessary. Kennedy did fulfill the support/effort component: he was identified as a cosponsor, publicly backed the bill, and urged use of reconciliation with a 51-vote path. But the core promised outcome was passage, and current legislative status shows the bill had not become law: H.R.7296 remained at introduction/referral status, and the House Rules activity reflected consideration rather than enactment. Because Kennedy made a serious same-term legislative push but the bill was not passed, this is a failed delivery with effort credit, not partial delivery.
Evidence shows John Kennedy strongly advocated for the SAVE America Act, including urging passage through reconciliation and suggesting legal adjustments to enable its success. However, there is no indication the Act was passed or became law, meaning the promise to support and ensure its passage was not delivered despite substantial effort.
The evidence demonstrates that John Kennedy strongly advocated for the SAVE America Act and pushed for its passage using reconciliation, including urging legal modifications to facilitate this. However, there is no evidence that the Act was actually passed during the term or brought to a vote and failed. Therefore, while Kennedy made a serious legislative attempt and supported the legislative process to deliver his promise, the final outcome—passage of the SAVE America Act—was not achieved.
The evidence shows that John Kennedy actively supported the SAVE America Act, advocated for its passage through reconciliation, and called for legal adjustments to facilitate that process. However, there is no evidence that the legislation was actually passed. Although he made a serious and visible legislative effort, the promise to deliver the outcome was not fulfilled.