Cornyn Reverses Course After Pledging To Support The SAVE America Act
Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s brief shift toward supporting changes to the Senate filibuster lasted only a matter of hours, creating confusion and political blowback during a closely watched Republican primary runoff.
The controversy began Wednesday when the New York Post published an op-ed under Cornyn’s name suggesting he would be willing to change Senate rules if necessary to pass key legislation backed by President Donald Trump. In the piece, Cornyn argued that Republican priorities such as the SAVE America Act and additional homeland security funding should not be stalled by Democratic obstruction.
“I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the SAVE America Act and homeland security funding past the Democrats’ obstruction, through the Senate, and on the president’s desk for his signature,” Cornyn wrote.
The language appeared to mark a dramatic shift for the longtime Texas senator, who has historically defended the Senate filibuster — the procedural rule requiring 60 votes to advance most legislation.
Sen Cornyn puts his hand in my camera as I ask abt the filibuster, tells me to “go away”
Q: You previously said that nuking the filibuster would be taking a wrecking ball to Senate rules, is that no longer true?
Cornyn: I said I’d be open to reforms. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/EUQBonuJ6L
— Brennan Leach (@brennanleach) March 11, 2026
However, only hours after the op-ed appeared, Cornyn was confronted by reporters at the U.S. Capitol and quickly distanced himself from the interpretation that he supported eliminating the filibuster. When asked by NBC News whether he would support “nuking” the rule, Cornyn pushed back sharply.
“I said I’d be open to reforms,” he replied before attempting to end the exchange. As questions continued, Cornyn told the reporter to “go away” and raised his hand to block a camera while entering an elevator.
The abrupt shift has drawn attention because the debate over the filibuster is deeply contentious within the Senate Republican conference. With Republicans holding 53 seats, changing Senate rules would require near-unanimous support within the party along with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. Several Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins, have publicly opposed eliminating the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune underscored that resistance when asked about Cornyn’s comments.
“Senator Cornyn is one of 53 Republican senators,” Thune said. “And the opposition to nuking the filibuster runs very, very deep in our conference.”
The episode unfolded as Cornyn faces a difficult political fight at home. In the March 3 Republican primary, he narrowly finished ahead of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, setting up a runoff scheduled for May 26. Paxton, a prominent figure aligned with the MAGA wing of the party, has built strong grassroots support and framed the race as a battle between the Republican establishment and Trump-aligned conservatives.
John Cornyn clearly hates that his staff wrote an op-ed going against his longtime support for the filibuster in a desperate attempt to save his candidacy. pic.twitter.com/qKTwTOLJC1
— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) March 11, 2026
Paxton has also attempted to leverage the filibuster issue during the campaign. After Trump indicated he might endorse one of the candidates in the runoff, Paxton suggested he would consider stepping aside if Cornyn committed to doing whatever was necessary to pass the SAVE America Act through the Senate.
The political pressure appears to have forced Cornyn to address the issue publicly. In the op-ed, he suggested that the filibuster may not survive indefinitely regardless of Republican preferences, pointing to past comments by Senate Democrats about eliminating the rule when they regain power.
“The Senate rules will change eventually, whether Republicans like it or not,” Cornyn wrote.
That argument raised further questions among critics, who noted that Cornyn had defended the filibuster for years despite Democratic calls to abolish it.