Speaker Mike Johnson warned that blocking House business over the SAVE America Act would be “self-defeating” as conservatives push for Senate action on election legislation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Republican lawmakers Monday to keep the House agenda moving while continuing to pressure the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, warning that blocking unrelated legislation would undermine GOP priorities.
Johnson, R-La., said House Republicans should not stall work on public safety, cost-of-living measures or other legislation because Senate Democrats have not acted on the voting bill.
“To my colleagues, whomever is thinking that stopping the work of House Republicans to make Americans safer right now and to bring down the cost of living, impeding that progress just because stubborn Senate Democrats won’t do the job of the American people is self-defeating,” Johnson told reporters. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and voter identification to cast a ballot.
Johnson’s remarks followed a move by House conservatives last week to block unrelated legislation in an effort to pressure the Senate to take up the bill, The Hill reported.
The dispute has now threatened consideration of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, one of Congress’ major yearly defense measures.
Johnson said he spent several hours at the White House on Monday discussing legislative strategy with President Donald Trump.
Trump last week canceled a planned signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill amid frustration over the Senate’s handling of the SAVE America Act. After meeting with Johnson, Trump urged House Republicans on Truth Social to stop “grandstanding,” “unify” and stop voting against procedural rules that delay House business.
Johnson said the House has already passed the SAVE America Act three times and plans to approve it again.
“Remember, we passed it three times in the House, and we intend to pass it again,” Johnson said.
The speaker argued that the most realistic path for sending the measure to Trump’s desk is through a budget reconciliation package, which can pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes usually needed to overcome a filibuster.
“But the only way to get that to the president’s desk, we’ve been shown many times, is to put it on a reconciliation bill. So that is in process,” Johnson said.
“We have a plan to do that, to tie it to reconcile the budget, which should clearly pass the Byrd Rule, the Byrd test over there,” he added.
The Byrd Rule generally restricts budget reconciliation bills to provisions that directly affect federal spending or revenues.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who has led the push to withhold support for House procedural votes until the Senate advances the SAVE America Act, rejected Johnson’s reconciliation strategy.
“This cannot be done. It is impossible. It will not pass the Byrd bath. I have amendments that should be made in order,” Luna wrote on X.
The internal disagreement leaves House Republicans balancing two goals: advancing the broader legislative agenda while maintaining pressure on the Senate to act on Trump-backed election legislation.
Johnson said Republicans should continue supporting the SAVE America Act but should not derail other House business as part of that effort.
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