Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana offered a firm, measured defense of basic election safeguards during a tense exchange with CBS host Margaret Brennan over the SAVE America Act.
Appearing on Face the Nation, Kennedy was pressed on the House-passed election integrity measure, which Republicans advanced through the reconciliation process as part of the National Defense Authorization Act less than two weeks ago. According to The Gateway Pundit, Brennan framed the legislation as a partisan power play, accusing Republicans of jamming this thing through and branding the SAVE America Act as highly controversial, highly partisan.
Brennan then escalated her critique, asking whether a GOP-only effort to reform election rules would damage public confidence in the system heading into the midterms. Bigger picture: isnt going to hurt faith in our elections if a Republican-only policy to change elections is rammed through? she asked, echoing a familiar media narrative that treats virtually any tightening of voting rules as suspect.
Kennedy rejected that premise outright, arguing that trust in elections depends on common-sense protections, not on partisan spin. No. In my opinion, for both sides to have credibility in our elections, we need to do two things, he replied, calmly outlining the core of the bill rather than taking Brennans bait.
Number one, you have to prove who you say you are in order to register to vote and to vote, Kennedy said, underscoring a principle long supported by conservatives who see voter ID as essential to election integrity. Number two, we need to go back to having an election DAY, not an election MONTH, he added, criticizing the extended voting periods that exploded during the pandemic and have since become a fixture of Democrat-backed election policy.
That, to me, is what the SAVE Act is all about. And I think that we can pass it and craft it in a way to survive a Byrd bath (for reconciliation), Kennedy continued, signaling confidence that the measure can withstand procedural scrutiny in the Senate. He closed with a pointed reminder that Republicans are prepared to test the limits of the process if that is what it takes to restore voter confidence: Were not gonna know if we dont try!
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