Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Cynthia M. Lummis

Republican on SAVE America Act (Executive Calendar) 2026-07-21

767 words · 49 sentences · 62 clauses

Statement grade

C+

Average 68 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 4%Claims 34%Positioning 23%Reasoning 13%Anecdote 23%Aside 1%The ask 3%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Procedure · 18 wordsI rise today to talk about a bill that, at its core, asks for something almost embarrassingly simple: ProcedureClaims · 40 wordsThat the person registering to vote in an American election is actually an American citizen and that the person showing up to cast the ballot is actually who they say they are.¹ The SAVE Act does not reinvent our elections. Positioning · 10 wordsIt does not add redtape for the sake of redtape.Positioning Claims · 37 wordsIt asks for documentary proof of citizenship at registration and identification at the ballot box--the same basic verification we already accept without complaint when we board an airplane, open a bank account, ²or pick up a prescription. Reasoning · 19 wordsIf we trust that system to protect a checking account, we should trust it enough to protect the vote. Positioning · 20 wordsThat is not extremism. That is common sense, and it is long past time this Chamber treated it that way.Positioning Anecdote · 154 wordsThis past Saturday, I was riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade alongside Senator Barrasso.³ Cheyenne is my hometown. It is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.⁴ And we have great parades--four of them--during the course of the week of the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.⁵ It is an exceptional tradition in my hometown. Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route. That is not a talking point; that just happened last weekend.Unearned certainty That is the people of Wyoming telling us what they want. So, I came home from that parade wondering if Wyoming was maybe a little ahead of the country on this.Anecdote Claims · 65 wordsIt turns out, Wyoming is right where the country already is.Unearned certainty And it turns out these constituents aren’t just in line with the people of Wyoming; they are in line with the country. A Gallup poll found 84 percent of U.S. adults favor requiring photo identification to vote.⁶ In that same poll, 83 percent--just one less-- support requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrants.⁷ Mr. President, Claims · 15 words83 percent. That includes 71 percent of self-identified Democrats and an overwhelming majority of Independents.⁸ Positioning · 15 wordsIn this town, we can’t get 83 percent of anybody to agree on the weather.Positioning Claims · 17 wordsThis is not controversial outside the walls of this building.Unearned certainty It has simply become controversial inside them. Reasoning · 61 wordsWould we expect to go to Mexico or Canada and walk into an election booth and have them let us vote in their elections without an ID, without proving we’re a Canadian citizen or a Mexican citizen? They would have nothing to do with the process that allowed a U.S. citizen to vote without identification in their elections. No country would.Unearned certainty Positioning · 64 wordsSo is the opposition to this bill just another symptom of Trump derangement syndrome, where any policy this administration touches becomes reflexively toxic the moment it reaches this floor? Or do my colleagues across the aisle actually believe it is bad policy for only American citizens to decide American elections? Because, really, those are--as near as I can tell--the only two explanations on offer.Positioning Procedure · 10 wordsThe same is true of protecting girls’ and women’s sports.Procedure Claims · 18 wordsGallup has found 69 percent of Americans believe athletes should compete on teams that match their biological sex.⁹ Aside · 9 wordsI am surprised it is not a higher number, AsideClaims · 33 wordsbut it is 69 percent. This is not a fringe position. It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: Reasoning · 16 wordsThat girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely. Claims · 39 wordsThey don’t have to worry about a man who identifies as a woman or as a transperson spiking a volleyball so hard that it does brain damage and causes concussions and lifelong injury to a young high school athlete. Positioning · 64 wordsWe owe that to our female athletes. Wyoming didn’t send me here to just spew political jargon, to play politics, because these things are simple; they are timeless; they are understood values. We can’t bend and shape thousands of years of common sense with new, woke ideology. Wyoming sent me here to conduct myself in a manner that reflects their common sense, their values.Positioning The ask · 13 wordsSo it is time to send the SAVE Act to President Trump’s desk. Anecdote · 19 wordsI heard that on the parade route in Cheyenne, WY, last weekend, and I hear it on this floor.Anecdote The ask · 7 wordsWe need to pass the SAVE Act. Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for
Little substanceMuch of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 43

37 of 41 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I rise today to talk about a bill that, at its core, asks for something almost embarrassingly simple:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It does not add redtape for the sake of redtape.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is not extremism.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is common sense,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and it is long past time this Chamber treated it that way.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “This past Saturday, I was riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade alongside Senator Barrasso.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Cheyenne is my hometown.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “And we have great parades--four of them--during the course of the week of the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It is an exceptional tradition in my hometown.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Pass the SAVE Act, Senator.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Pass the SAVE Act.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Not once.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That is not a talking point;”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “that just happened last weekend.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That is the people of Wyoming telling us what they want.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “So, I came home from that parade wondering if Wyoming was maybe a little ahead of the country on this.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “In this town, we can’t get 83 percent of anybody to agree on the weather.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “So is the opposition to this bill just another symptom of Trump derangement syndrome,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “where any policy this administration touches becomes reflexively toxic the moment it reaches this floor?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Or do my colleagues across the aisle actually believe it is bad policy for only American citizens to decide American elections?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Because, really, those are--as near as I can tell--the only two explanations on offer.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “The same is true of protecting girls’ and women’s sports.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “I am surprised it is not a higher number,”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We owe that to our female athletes.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Wyoming didn’t send me here to just spew political jargon, to play politics,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “because these things are simple;”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “they are timeless;”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “they are understood values.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We can’t bend and shape thousands of years of common sense with new, woke ideology.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Wyoming sent me here to conduct myself in a manner that reflects their common sense, their values.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I heard that on the parade route in Cheyenne, WY, last weekend,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and I hear it on this floor.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield the floor.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 94

4 of 41 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “that just happened last weekend.”Vouches for the anecdote’s authenticity by assertion alone, with nothing checkable offered.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “It turns out”Asserts that Wyoming matches national opinion as settled fact before any source is offered.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “This is not controversial outside the walls of this building”States national consensus as fact with no poll or source at that point in the speech.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “No country would”Speaks for every country’s election practice without citing any source.

Claims · 9

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“That the person registering to vote in an American election is actually an American citizen and that the person showing up to cast the ballot is actually who they say they are”The SAVE Act requires that voter registrants be American citizens and that voters verify their identity at the ballot box.search
2“It asks for documentary proof of citizenship at registration and identification at the ballot box”The SAVE Act requires documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and identification when voting.search
3“This past Saturday, I was riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade alongside Senator Barrasso”On the Saturday before July 21, 2026, Senator Cynthia Lummis rode in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade alongside Senator John Barrasso.search
4“It is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo”Cheyenne Frontier Days is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.search
5“we have great parades--four of them--during the course of the week”Cheyenne Frontier Days includes four parades during its week.search
6“A Gallup poll found 84 percent of U.S. adults favor requiring photo identification to vote”A Gallup poll found that 84 percent of U.S. adults favor requiring photo identification to vote.search
7“83 percent--just one less-- support requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrants”The same Gallup poll found 83 percent of U.S. adults support requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrants.search
8“That includes 71 percent of self-identified Democrats”In that Gallup poll, 71 percent of self-identified Democrats supported requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrants.search
9“Gallup has found 69 percent of Americans believe athletes should compete on teams that match their biological sex”A Gallup poll found that 69 percent of Americans believe athletes should compete on teams that match their biological sex.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15