A Texas House Freedom Caucus member has introduced legislation to repeal the 17th Amendment and return U.S. senators’ selection to state legislatures—an effort he ties to mounting anger over stalled GOP goals, including the SAVE America Act.
In the middle of a fast-worsening Republican feud, a member of the House Freedom Caucus is pushing a constitutional change that could force the party to pick a fight on a completely different front.
Rep. Keith Self of Texas introduced legislation to repeal the 17th Amendment and return the selection of U.S. senators to state legislatures—the system used before the amendment was ratified in 1913. Self. a Republican. said the current setup has shifted power away from the states. arguing that direct election has “given us six-year politicians more focused on national ambitions and the institution of the U.S. Senate than on the states they serve.” He added that the Senate was designed to “protect state sovereignty and act as a check on federal overreach.”.
“If senators are supposed to represent their states, then the states should choose them. Repealing the 17th Amendment will restore that constitutional balance and make the Senate more accountable to the people of Texas and every other state in the union,” Self said.
Self’s bill lists eight Republican cosponsors: Eric Burlison of Missouri, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Sheri Biggs of South Carolina and Michael Cloud of Texas.
The proposal faces steep odds before it even clears Congress. Repealing a constitutional amendment would require the approval of two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. There is a second path too: a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures. followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states. Even with Republicans controlling 28 state legislatures compared with Democrats’ 18. both routes would require substantial bipartisan support. making the repeal highly unlikely.
It’s not the first time the idea has surfaced. Former Democratic Sen. Zell Miller introduced a repeal resolution in 2004, and calls resurfaced in 2013 and 2014 during the Tea Party movement. At an ALEC summit in 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz described the amendment as “a major step toward the explosion of federal power and the undermining of the authority of the states at the local level.”.
For Self and other House conservatives, though, the point isn’t just the math. It’s the fight.
The repeal push is gaining steam as House and Senate Republicans remain split over the SAVE America Act. a bill that would make it a requirement to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The measure passed the House largely along party lines but faces long odds in the Senate. where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and would need at least seven Democratic votes to overcome the filibuster. No Senate Democrats have indicated support for the SAVE America Act, and some Republicans have expressed reservations as well.
Self has repeatedly criticized Senate Republicans for failing to move the bill. In a June 26 Facebook post, he wrote: “The Senate is openly defying the will of the American people by refusing to pass the SAVE America Act.”
President Donald Trump has also added pressure. He canceled a planned signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he would withhold his signature until Congress passes the SAVE America Act.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are urging the House to confront political reality rather than keep chasing legislation that may never land.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called passing the SAVE America Act an “impossible task” during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union. He said the measure “simply can’t be implemented in that time frame. ” and urged Republicans to focus on winning elections under existing rules instead of continuing to debate legislation unlikely to become law.
“Why are we doing more things to undermine our confidence in elections. rather than getting the strong message out that will win for Republicans this year?. Talk about the emergence and the rise of the Democrat Socialists of America. accept that the voting laws are going to be fundamentally what they are today. win by them. ” Tillis said.
Keith Self 17th Amendment House Freedom Caucus SAVE America Act U.S. senators state legislatures filibuster documentary proof of citizenship Donald Trump Thom Tillis Zell Miller Ted Cruz Sheri Biggs Michael Cloud Clay Higgins Scott Perry Paul Gosar Andy Harris Andrew Clyde Eric Burlison