SAVE America Act Triggers GOP Standoff in House

GOP leadership in the US House sent lawmakers home on Tuesday, two days before the planned start of their Independence Day break. The lower chamber’s early holiday recess came after a group of Republicans blocked a procedural vote in an effort to force inclusion of the SAVE America Act – the President Donald Trump-backed voter ID bill – in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

SAVE America Act Gridlock

A vote to get the ball rolling on the NDAA failed 224-198 on Tuesday after a group of more than a dozen Trump allies – led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) – joined every House Democrat to prevent the legislation from moving forward. Why did Luna and some of her fellow Republicans sink the vote? Because, according to her, House GOP leadership is fighting against a new strategy to get the SAVE Act to Trump’s desk by including it in the base text of the NDAA.

“Why do we want it in the NDAA? Because it makes it harder, if it’s written into the bill, for the Senate to strip it out,” Luna said in a video posted on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced plans to merge the SAVE America Act with the NDAA after it passed the House, sending both pieces of legislation to the upper chamber in a single package using a process called MIRVing. But Luna was skeptical of the idea, arguing the Senate could easily remove the voter ID bill.

“The current plan being proposed by HOUSE GOP to ‘MIRV’ NDAA + SAVE AMERICA is a procedural head fake. This does not do anything but guarantee the Senate will EASILY TAKE OUT SAVE America from the NDAA,” Luna wrote on X before the vote. “HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP SHOULD allow an AMENDMENT to ATTACH VOTER ID + PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP or SAVE America to the ACTUAL TEXT of NDAA. IF IT IS NOT DONE THIS WAY, IT WILL EASILY BE TAKEN OUT.”

The Senate could still remove the SAVE America Act from the NDAA even if it’s included in the bill’s base text, and President Trump recently urged Republicans in the House to “stop voting down ‘Rules’ or, threatening to do so.” He continued:

“Giving power to the Radical Left Dumocrats in the House to control what goes up for a Vote will make our outcomes worse, not better. No more grandstanding, please! They are the Dumocrats, and we can’t let them WIN!”

Déjà Vu?

While the House has experienced near-constant gridlock for months, giving up and sending everyone home when negotiations get tough does little to inspire confidence in the legislative branch. It seems like just yesterday lawmakers were returning from their Memorial Day recess, and now they’re already off again after having done – what, exactly?

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said it’s a “bad time” in Congress, arguing his colleagues “have forgotten how to govern.” He may be right. Almost exactly one month ago,  Liberty Nation News’ James Fite reported: “This wasn’t the first time they decided to take a break without actually resolving the issues – and now, surprise, surprise – that very same legislative logjam awaits their return.” Déjà vu, anyone?