Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Thursday urged his fellow Republican lawmakers to eliminate the “zombie” filibuster to pass the SAVE Act.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act aims to protect election integrity by requiring voters to prove they are citizens before voting in federal elections.
The “zombie filibuster” is a nickname for the silent filibuster the Senate uses in modern times. Unlike the usual “talking filibuster,” in which a senator gives a lengthy speech to stall the passage of a bill, this method involves senators simply signaling their intent to object to a given measure.
Using this tactic, senators can block a bill unless it clears a cloture vote, which requires three-fifths of the Senate.
During an appearance on Newsmax, Cruz was asked why the GOP-dominated Senate has failed to pass the legislation.
Cruz agreed, noting that he is “an original sponsor of the SAVE Act” and “I think we ought to pass it.”
“I think we ought to put it on the Senate floor,” the senator added. “I think we ought to use every bit of leverage to pressure the Democrats. We ought to force them to do a talking filibuster and make them talk till they collapse.”
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Ted Cruz is now demanding Senate Republicans NUKE the Zombie Filibuster so the SAVE Act can be passed with 50 votes + JD Vance as the tie breaker
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 29, 2026
YES! That's how you win!
"I'm an original sponsor of the SAVE Act, I'm a passionate advocate of the SAVE Act, I… pic.twitter.com/aY6AYito3Y
Last year, President Donald Trump called on Republican senators to end the filibuster altogether. His demand met with mixed reactions coming from GOP lawmakers.
Some Republicans supported the idea. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) previously opposed ending the filibuster, but later changed his mind, saying “If we need to bust it, let’s bust it.”
Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Sen. Josh Hawley also chimed in, saying he would “prioritize the people” over Senate procedure, NBC News reported. Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana agreed with the president, arguing, “the filibuster is standing in the way of balanced budgets and cutting spending, on top of other things like passing voter ID laws.”
Republicans, if you're not going to end the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court, then propose an Amendment that mandates the filibuster and fixes the number of Justices at 9. If Dems oppose that, then guess what? They're going to end the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court.
— Roman Helmet Guy (@romanhelmetguy) January 22, 2026
However, several GOP senators remain firmly opposed to ending the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-ND) said “the votes aren’t there” to eliminate it. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the filibuster “the Senate’s most important institutional safeguard” and said doing away with it “would inflict lastsing harm on Congress’s ability to voice the will of the people.”
Sen. John Curtis of Utah said, “the filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate” and pointed out that “power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t.”