Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy criticized Senate Republicans for leaving Washington without advancing a House budget resolution. He said the resolution could open a reconciliation path toward the SAVE Act and additional military funding. Kennedy warned that waiting until after recess had sharply reduced the measure’s chances of passage.
Kennedy made the remarks in a video shared on X.
He said he was “very disappointed” senators did not vote on the House resolution. Kennedy stressed that the vote would not have passed the SAVE Act or additional military funding.
Instead, it would have started the reconciliation process needed to pursue both goals. “It would have just been a vote to allow us to try,” Kennedy said.
He then rejected efforts to blame Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “You can’t blame this one on Senator Thune,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said Republican senators discussed the issue during a large meeting Friday night. He said Thune was ready to proceed if most of the conference supported the move.
That support never materialized.
Kennedy said the conference remained a few votes short and chose not to continue negotiating. He argued senators should have stayed several more days and tried to persuade reluctant colleagues.
John Kennedy Faces Louisiana Backlash Over SAVE Act Recess
Kennedy’s criticism did little to shield him from anger over the Senate’s decision to leave Washington.
One response tied that frustration directly to his home state. “Louisiana will remember in Nov.”
Another challenged Kennedy over his own role in the recess. “You talk a big game, yet not one of you stood up and formally blocked the recess, including you. Why is that John?”
The criticism also came from someone who explicitly identified as Kennedy’s constituent. “Senator Kennedy, I live in your state so I am a constituent. I’m going to have to ask God for forgiveness for the manner of this post, but I’m not happy.”
Another response warned that the frustration could carry political consequences. “We have been begging you to get this done for months. You all spit in our faces. We won’t forget and some of you might have to worry about your jobs.”
Not every response supported Kennedy’s push for the legislation. One user argued, “It never had the votes and never will. It is unconstitutional.”
Another praised opposition to the measure, writing, “Everybody knows the SAVE law is Trump’s obvious scheme designed to keep the extremely unpopular GOP in power. Its to your credit that you are making it impossible. Good work!”
Kennedy said Republicans still plan to revisit the issue after recess. Whether they can recover enough support to advance it remains unresolved.
