After the House of Representatives hit a standstill on June 30, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview on July 5 that they will try to pass an election reform bill known as the SAVE America Act “one more time.”
On June 30, Johnson abruptly recessed the House after the chamber was unable to come to agreements over several pieces of legislation. One of the impasses was over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which President Donald Trump has said is his top priority – so much so that Trump said on June 29 that he wouldn’t sign a bipartisan housing bill known as The 21st Century Road to Housing Act until Congress passes the election bill.
On Fox News Sunday July 5, Johnson said the House will try to pass the SAVE America Act again through a budget reconciliation bill.
“The big urgency is to get SAVE America passed. The president has that as a top priority and so do I. We passed it three times in the House,” Johnson said to host Shannon Bream. “We’re going to try one more time on a budget reconciliation bill, and I think that will be the way to get it through the Senate finally to the President’s desk, so that’s forth-coming.”
Here’s what the SAVE America Act is and where it stands.
What is the SAVE America Act?
The SAVE America Act would be a significant overhaul to voting procedure in the nation by requiring proof of citizenship upon registering to vote.
The bill has gone through many iterations, but the House bill would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, as well as direct states to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls.
Trump would also like the bill to prohibit universal mail-in voting across the country.
Warren calls SAVE Act ‘Jim Crow 2.0’
Republicans say that the SAVE Act is an election security measure that would prevent noncitizens from voting, which is already illegal and exceedingly rare. In 2024, the American Immigration Council reported there were fewer than 70 proven cases of noncitizens who voted in elections in the last 40 years.
However, voting rights advocates are concerned the SAVE America Act could substantially curb the rights of millions of Americans to cast ballots by making voter registration more complicated or inaccessible. Some advocates and lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have also raised concerns that the Act’s ambiguous language could impact women who have taken their partner’s last name, as it requires the full name on your valid photo ID matches your birth certificate or naturalization card.
In March, Warren called the bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”
“So just make a guess who’s going to get swept off the voter rolls. People who the Republicans think are likely to vote Democratic,” Warren said on the Senate floor. “So sweep off Black people, sweep off brown people, sweep off women, sweep off students.”
Will the SAVE America Act pass?
The SAVE Act has stalled on Capitol Hill. While it’s passed the House already, it needs 60 votes to pass the Senate – a difficult feat as all 47 senators in the Democratic caucus have expressed opposition to the legislation.
Now, Johnson said they will try to pass the Act through a reconciliation bill, which only needs 51 votes to pass the Senate. Still, even this might be a challenge as some Republicans in the chamber, which is controlled 53-47 by the GOP, have suggested they might not support it.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina each voted against a motion in June to add the legislation to Republicans’ $70 billion budget package.
But on Sunday, Johnson said that they’re planning on sending over a bill that would be “irresistible for any Republican.”
Contributing: Nicole Fallert, Zachary Schermele
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: What is the SAVE Act? What to know about Trump’s priority legislation
Reporting by Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England / Telegram & Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England | USA TODAY Network
