House Republicans on Wednesday passed a measure linking the Save America Act to a spending bill, marking the latest tactical push to advance the Trump-backed voter ID legislation after weeks of internal conflict stalled the House floor. The 217-209 vote approved a rule allowing debate and votes on the measure, which combines the Save America Act with a State Department appropriations bill that typically enjoys bipartisan support.
The tactic, known as “MIRVing” on Capitol Hill, attaches the voter ID bill to must-pass spending legislation in hopes of forcing the Senate to address it. Speaker Mike Johnson agreed to the strategy after conservative hardliners, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, blocked procedural votes for weeks demanding action on the Save America Act.
The Save America Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and impose new identification requirements when casting ballots. Supporters argue it protects election integrity; voting rights advocates say it lacks evidence of widespread fraud and could disenfranchise eligible voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The House measure passed largely along party lines, with only one Republican voting against it. Luna said her support was conditioned on Johnson merging the Save America Act onto all appropriations and must-pass bills. “If SAVE America is stripped out in the Senate, the blame will fall solely on John Thune,” Luna wrote on social media, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
House Republicans separately unveiled a $95 billion budget resolution on July 15 that includes $10 billion allocated to enacting voter registration restrictions aligned with the Save America Act. The reconciliation package also funds defense spending for the ongoing Iran war and farm aid, according to Federal News Network. The Budget Committee was expected to consider the outline Thursday, with House floor action planned for the following week.
The Save America Act has passed the House but faces a steep climb in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Trump in June that Republicans control only 53 seats and lack the 60 votes needed to break a Democratic filibuster. Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have pledged to block the measure. “I’ll say it as many times as it takes: the Save America Act is dead on arrival here in the Senate,” Schumer said before the House vote.
Trump has repeatedly made the bill a top priority, even disrupting other legislative efforts to underscore his demands. In June, he refused to sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill in protest of the lack of progress on the Save America Act, though the measure became law without his signature the following week.
Sources
- The Guardian — House Republicans linking Save America Act to spending bill, July 15, 2026; Schumer’s vow to block the measure.
- The Hill — House GOP breaking weeks-long standoff with MIRVing strategy; Luna’s conditional support; Thune’s statement on Senate votes.
- Federal News Network — $95 billion reconciliation package with $10 billion for voter registration requirements; Johnson’s statement on election integrity.
