Republicans turn on Sen. Mike Lee over his stance on voter ID
U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) uses a phone, on the day of Senate votes, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
June 18, 2026
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and John Kennedy (R-LA) confronted Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) during a closed-door Republican lunch Wednesday.
Sources described it as a pile-on over Lee's push to keep the Senate in session until a voter ID bill passes, reported Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio.
Cornyn and Kennedy challenged Lee's strategy for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, complaining that President Donald Trump was being misled about the bill's passability, saying it undermined Republican unity and Trump's agenda.
The confrontation followed a public spat five days earlier when Cornyn, despite co-sponsoring the bill, publicly called out Lee on X, writing, "you don't have the votes" and urging him to focus on Democrats rather than attacking Republicans.
"'On what planet is this an attack on Republicans?'" Lee responded on X, adding, "That's not an attack on Republicans. That's a plan of attack against voter fraud."
The House-passed legislation requires citizenship documentation to register and a photo ID to vote federally.
The bill has 50 Senate votes but needs 60 to overcome a Democratic filibuster.
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