House Republicans advanced the SAVE Act on Wednesday by voting 217-209 to attach it to a $95 billion spending bill, escalating their push for the voter ID legislation as Senate opposition hardens.
The measure, formally the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and impose voter identification requirements at polling places. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill must be passed “into law, as much of that as possible.”
The House passed an earlier version of the SAVE Act in February, but it stalled in the Senate. Top Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have vowed to block it again. “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 Wednesday’s House vote, according to The Guardian.
Senate Republicans Face Votes and Implementation Hurdles
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has resisted pressure from President Trump to eliminate the filibuster, which would require 60 votes to overcome. Thune told reporters his conference is “not even close” to having the votes to bypass the procedural rule, according to NBC News.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who opposes the bill, raised a separate concern: implementation. “Do y’all have any idea how many governmental entities have to implement these changes before November? More than 10,000,” Tillis told reporters on Wednesday. “If we had passed this last year, it couldn’t have been implemented in time.” Tillis warned that suggesting the bill could be operational by the November midterm elections is “disingenuous” and risks undermining election integrity.
Republicans are now pursuing an alternative strategy. The House released a budget blueprint Wednesday that would allow passage through the reconciliation process, which bypasses the filibuster but is limited to tax and spending provisions. The House Administration Committee would be granted $10 billion to implement elements of the SAVE Act, according to NBC News and Democracy Docket.
Thune acknowledged the reconciliation approach has limits. “We’ve looked at that at length,” he said Thursday, “and there are some things you could do, but are they going to be sufficient to scratch the itch of the people who want the full SAVE Act?” He suggested that grants to states might qualify under reconciliation rules, though the Senate parliamentarian will ultimately decide which provisions are permissible.
The House vote reflects ongoing pressure from Trump and conservative Republicans to pass the legislation before November’s midterm elections. A group of House conservatives had blocked floor action for weeks to force leadership to prioritize the bill. Their blockade ended only after Johnson agreed to link SAVE to the appropriations package, a strategy that could jeopardize government funding if Republicans press forward, according to The Guardian.
Sources
- The Guardian — House passage of SAVE Act on spending bill, Schumer opposition, Democratic filibuster threat, and procedural risk
- NBC News — Thune’s “not even close” statement on filibuster votes, Tillis implementation concerns, reconciliation strategy details, and House Administration Committee $10 billion budget
- Democracy Docket — Reconciliation process and House Administration Committee role
