Rep. Anna Paulina Luna continues to block House floor action over the SAVE America Act despite public pressure from President Trump to reopen proceedings, intensifying a standoff that has paralyzed legislative business in the Republican-controlled chamber.
A procedural rule vote failed 198-224 on Tuesday, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. The failed rule would have allowed debate and votes on a slate of legislation, including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense bill.
Luna, a Florida Republican, has led the blockade to pressure the Senate into passing the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and mandate photo ID at polling places. The House passed the measure earlier this year, but it has stalled in the Senate, where Democrats vow to oppose it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had announced a plan to merge the SAVE America Act with the NDAA through a procedural process called MIRVing, hoping to appease hardliners. Luna rejected the approach, arguing the Senate could easily strip the voter ID bill from the final package. “The current plan being proposed by HOUSE GOP to ‘MIRV’ NDAA + SAVE AMERICA is a procedural head fake,” Luna posted on social media before the vote.
Trump last week urged House Republicans to unify and stop voting down procedural rules. In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “House Republicans should unify, and stop voting down ‘Rules’.” Luna told NewsNation she believes Trump ultimately supports her position and strategy, despite his public call to reopen the floor.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said leadership is working to resolve the impasse. “We’ve got an agenda that’s really important this week, including the NDAA, that we need to get done,” Scalise told NewsNation. “The answer to problems in the Senate is not shutting down the House.”
The blockade reflects deeper GOP fractures over strategy. Senate Republicans are scrambling for a path forward on the SAVE Act, but would need to eliminate the filibuster to overcome Democratic opposition. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has dismissed calls to reform the filibuster rule.
Sources
- NewsNation — Luna’s continued blockade despite Trump’s call to reopen the floor, and Scalise’s statement on resolving the standoff
- The Hill — Procedural rule vote details (198-224), list of 14 Republicans who voted against the rule, and Luna’s statement on the MIRVing approach
- Congress.gov — SAVE Act requirements for proof of citizenship and voter ID
- Politico — House floor paralysis and GOP holdouts voting down Johnson’s plan
