If you’re like me, you might have been confused over the last few weeks about why we’re suddenly talking about the Republican Party trying to invoke the “Standing Filibuster”. You might think the Filibuster is something the Minority Party does to try and slow down or stop the Majority Party from passing new legislation. And you’d be right! So isn’t this something Democrats would be doing, not the Republicans? It’s all quite confusing, but I think I can help explain what’s going on here. Here we go: You’re right about the basics of how the filibuster usually works in the Senate today — it’s primarily a minority-party tool to delay or kill legislation. The minority doesn’t need a vote to “start” it; they just object or place a hold. The majority’s main job is usually to file a cloture motion (to end debate) and try to get 60 votes to overcome it. If cloture fails, the bill stalls without much drama. But that’s the modern “silent” filibuster (the version that’s been standard since the 1970s). What Mark Meadows and other conservatives are publicly whipping votes for right now with the SAVE America Act (also called the SAVE Act — the House-passed bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections) is a deliberate push to force the old-school “talking” or “standing” filibuster instead. Quick context on the current fight (March 2026) Republicans control the Senate (narrow majority, around 53-47). The SAVE Act passed the House and has strong GOP support (Trump has made it a top priority for election integrity). Democrats are united against it and have promised to block it. Under normal rules, Republicans can’t get the 60 votes needed for cloture, so the bill would die quietly with a failed procedural vote. No long speeches, no spectacle. What “supporting the talking filibuster” actually means Meadows’ post (and the daily “whip count” updates) is not about Republicans filibustering the bill themselves or “voting to start” a filibuster. It’s about pressuring GOP senators to commit to an aggressive procedural strategy as the majority party: Senate Majority Leader (or whoever controls the floor) brings the SAVE Act up for debate. Instead of immediately filing cloture (which would fail and end things quietly), they keep the Senate in continuous session with unlimited debate. Under traditional Senate rules, Democrats (the minority) would then have to actually get up, stand at the podium, and talk continuously — often for hours or days — to keep delaying a final vote. They can’t just sit down or leave; they have to hold the floor (tag-teaming is possible but still exhausting and visible). Meanwhile, Republicans have to stay united and keep at least 51 senators available on or near the floor at all times (for quorum calls and to vote down Democratic amendments, which only need a simple majority). The goal of the hardliners (Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Meadows, Trump allies, etc.) Make the Democratic obstruction extremely public and politically painful (“Why are they filibustering a bill to stop non-citizens from voting?”). Physically and politically wear the Democrats down so they eventually stop talking or cave. Allow the bill to advance to a simple 51-vote passage without ever getting 60 votes for cloture. It’s not automatic — that’s why Meadows is posting lists of supportive GOP senators (Cruz, Hawley, Lee, etc.) and publicly calling out the holdouts (Thune, McConnell, Collins, Cotton, Graham, etc.). Forcing a real talking filibuster requires near-total Republican unity and a big time commitment. Many Senate GOP leaders (including Majority Leader John Thune) have said openly that the conference isn’t unified on this, it could paralyze the Senate for weeks, it risks backfiring, and they prefer other priorities. Why this feels confusing You’re thinking of the filibuster as something the minority does on its own. In the silent version, yes. But the majority party controls the schedule and the rules of engagement. By choosing to force the talking version, Republicans are essentially saying: “If you want to kill this popular bill, you’re going to have to stand there and explain why — on live C-SPAN, for days.” It’s a tactic to turn the filibuster against the minority and make it costly for them. Republicans still aren’t “voting in the filibuster” or doing the talking — Democrats would be. The GOP senators are just being asked to publicly commit to the floor fight needed to make it happen. This is why you’re seeing all the intra-Republican pressure posts right now. It’s a very specific, high-stakes internal strategy debate over how aggressively to push the SAVE Act. The “talking filibuster” supporters want the spectacle and the pressure; the skeptics think it’s too risky and disruptive. How incredibly stupid can they get? Republicans have the Majority in the Senate right now… They have two easy paths to immediately pass The SAVE Act. Path 1: Terminate the Filibuster and send the SAVE Act through with a 51/49 Vote.  Easy. Path 2: Pass the SAVE Act via budget reconciliation, again with a 51/49 Vote.  Also easy. EITHER OF THESE WILL WORK! But the truth is, most Republicans are completely compromised and totally captured, either via Blackmail or Bribery or Threats against their families. The truth is, they’re not making their own decisions and that’s why millions of Americans are screaming into their TVs about how John Thune better wise up and realize what he’s doing is wrong! But that will never happen. Because people like John Thune and many others are not thinking for themselves. They’ve been compromised and taken out of the game, forced to do what their masters tell them. So they keep you divided and confused and this is a perfect example! We have a 51/49 Majority, and we’ve completely split that Majority down the middle by putting half the Senate Republicans in Path 1 and the other half in Path 2. How utterly stupid! They think Americans won’t notice. But I noticed. Both paths work, but they want you to think we just can’t get the votes. We have the votes but they created a news cycle designed to make you think Republicans just can’t get the votes, meanwhile they split Republicans into two completely nonsensical and unnecessary camps. Completely wrong. Completely fake. Completely diabolical. And no one is noticing. No one except me. Now maybe this will make a lot more sense: Mark Meadows Posts Names Of The 25 Senate Republicans NOT Supporting The Standing Filibuster Mark Meadows just posted a list of the 25 Republican Senators NOT currently signed on to the Standing Filibuster. See here: Again, here are all the GOP Senators that are not yet on the list. Feel free to invite them to show their support! John Barrasso (WY)John Boozman (AR)Shelley Moore Capito (WV)Susan Collins (ME)Tom Cotton (AR)Kevin Cramer (ND)Mike Crapo (ID)John Curtis (UT)Steve Daines… — Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) March 9, 2026 FULL LIST: John Barrasso (WY) John Boozman (AR) Shelley Moore Capito (WV) Susan Collins (ME) Tom Cotton (AR) Kevin Cramer (ND) Mike Crapo (ID) John Curtis (UT) Steve Daines (MT) Deb Fischer (NE) Lindsey Graham (SC) Chuck Grassley (IA) John Hoeven (ND) Jim Justice (WV) John Kennedy (LA) James Lankford (OK) Mitch McConnell (KY) Jerry Moran (KS) Lisa Murkowski (AK) Pete Ricketts (NE) Tim Scott (SC) John Thune (SD) Thom Tillis (NC) Roger Wicker (MS) Todd Young (IN) You might be a little confused by this list seeing some of the names on there and thinking these people were in support of the SAVE Act. Most are. Like John Kennedy and Chuck Grassley, for example. So why are they on the list? This is not a list for who is in support of the SAVE Act.  This is a list for who is in support of using the Talking Filibuster. As usual, Republicans can never agree to unite around a cause, they have to fight amongst themselves on how to get there. Meanwhile, Democrats will lie, cheat and steal to get the result they want.  They will band together and do whatever it takes. But not the Republicans. Republicans fracture and die a thousand cuts. So stupid! This explains it a little better: Senator John Kennedy and the SAVE Act According to recent reports, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) is indeed a co-sponsor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and has publicly expressed strong support for passing it to enhance election security by requiring proof of citizenship for federal voter registration. Legislative Predictions and Strategy Support and Priority: He has predicted that the bill will ultimately pass the Senate and reach President Trump’s desk, emphasizing its priority status. The Reconciliation Approach: Kennedy has specifically advocated for using the budget reconciliation process(which allows passage with a simple majority of 51 votes) as a way to “short-circuit” the standard legislative hurdles. The Filibuster Distinction: He has not committed to the standing filibuster tactic being pushed by Mark Meadows and Trump to force the issue. Current Standing This alternative approach appears to be why he’s included on Meadows’ list of GOP senators not yet supporting the filibuster method, even though he aligns with the bill’s goals. No recent statements from Kennedy indicate a shift in his position as of March 10, 2026.