I’ve been proud to represent Alabama in the United States Senate over the past five and a half years. Unfortunately, something I’ve noticed during my time in D.C. is that the swamp seems much more interested in preserving their own power than doing what’s right for the American people.

In fact, too many politicians go on TV and say the right things, but behind the curtain, all they really care about is getting re-elected. Well, that’s not why the people of Alabama sent me to D.C. back in 2020 — I don’t give a rip what the Washington elites think about me, and I am not afraid to ruffle some feathers to get something done.

Let’s take, for example, the recent debate surrounding the SAVE America Act. This commonsense legislation, which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, would require photo ID to vote.

This is an idea that 83% of Americans support, including 71% of Democrats. So, why isn’t it the law of the land? Because Senate Democrats are more concerned with appeasing the far-left wing of their party than supporting policies that their own constituents back.

Because Democrats refuse to vote for it, Republicans are only left with two options: blow up the filibuster and override the Democrats or ignore the majority of Americans and let the legislation die in the Senate. For months, I have been saying that we should do whatever is necessary to get this bill across the finish line.

But, as usual, the Washington swamp creatures are more concerned with protecting their own power than doing what is right. So, they will continue to say they “support” the SAVE America Act while refusing to do what it takes to pass it. It’s infuriating that we can’t get this common-sense legislation through, even while we control the White House, House, and Senate.

The same dynamic is playing out with the ongoing lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For months, Democrats have allowed DHS — the agency responsible for protecting our homeland — to go unfunded as leverage for their political demands. Ensuring that agency is funded should be a baseline responsibility for a U.S. Senator, not a bargaining chip.

Because of Democrats’ refusal to reopen DHS, the only viable path forward is to fund it through reconciliation—a process that allows Congress to pass certain spending-related legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes.

It’s not complicated: if we have the votes, we can act. What doesn’t make sense is using that process timidly. If we’re going to use reconciliation to fund DHS, why don’t we grow a backbone and use it to advance other priorities that matter — like securing our elections and strengthening accountability across government.

We should pack the bill full of other priorities for both the President and the country. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t use reconciliation as an opportunity to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that is extremely popular across party lines.

While we’re at it, we should also include my bill, the Abolish TSA Act, to privatize aviation security — which would save taxpayers MILLIONS of dollars. As you have heard on the news by now, TSA is under DHS and has been severely impacted by this shutdown.

Over the past few months, we’ve seen why it makes zero sense to have the government involved in aviation security in the first place. If we privatize it, Americans won’t be forced to endure long lines at the airport just because Democrats in D.C. can’t get it together. It’s just common sense.

We’ve already seen this playbook work. Everyone doubted President Trump and said that the One Big Beautiful Bill, also known as the Working Families Tax Cuts, would never pass. Well, they were wrong. Republicans used reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill and secured historic tax cuts for American families.

It proved that when we’re willing to act decisively, we can deliver meaningful results. Now is not the time to bend the knee to outdated Senate traditions. Whether it takes five days or five weeks, let’s use this opportunity to deliver the MAGA agenda. The American people are counting on it.