John Cornyn flips on the filibuster for Trump's SAVE America Act

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, reversed himself on the Senate filibuster to pass President Trump's SAVE America Act after years of support for the 60-vote threshold.

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, reversed himself on the Senate filibuster Wednesday after years of unflinching support for the 60-vote threshold to pass most bills.

Now, locked in a competitive Republican runoff for his Senate seat and eyeing President Donald Trump's endorsement, Cornyn says he'll support "whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary" to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election overhaul bill that Trump has called his No. 1 priority.

Cornyn's comments are part of an op-ed he wrote in the New York Post published Wednesday, titled: "Why the SAVE Act matters more than the filibuster."

The legislation would impose proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote, require photo ID to cast a ballot in person or by mail, and require states to run voter rolls through a federal database kept by the Department of Homeland Security.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, backs changes to the filibuster to pass Trump's SAVE America Act.Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesCornyn supports the bill, but his GOP runoff opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has aligned with Trump in calling for abolition of the filibuster to pass it and criticized Cornyn for refusing to take the same stance.