Mike Johnson advances voter ID and proof of citizenship in key House vote
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to end Democrats’ opposition to the election integrity bill backed by President Donald Trump survived a pivotal vote across the House on Tuesday.
It’s a major victory for Republicans in a fight that Democrats argue is about suppressing Americans’ right to vote, while the GOP argues it’s about increasing Americans’ confidence in the election process.
The Saving American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act has faced significant opposition in Congress despite Trump’s full support. Despite passing the House, the legislation struggled in the Senate, which required at least a few Democratic votes to break the filibuster and move on to final passage.
JOHNSON’S STRATEGY TO BYpass DEMOCRATS’ BLOCKING OF THE SAVINGS BILL TURNED SIGNIFICANT VOTES, GIVING A HUGE GAIN FOR THE GOP
Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to end Democrats’ opposition to the RELIEVE America Act has cleared a key hurdle. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo; J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
But Johnson, R-La.’s new plan, which would allow key parts of the bill to exclude Democrats entirely, survived a key test vote in the House on Tuesday.
The House voted largely along party lines to allow debate on a $95 billion budget bill that includes nearly $10 billion for states to enforce voter ID laws and a requirement for proof of citizenship in the voter registration process; these were both key points of the SAVE America Act.
This is part of a broader measure passed through the budget reconciliation process.
GOP’S $95 BILLION DEFENSE PACKAGE FAILS CRITICAL OBSTACLE AT THE MIDDLE OF THE FISCAL HAWK REBELLION
The reconciliation process lowers the passage threshold for the Senate to comply with the House’s simple majority requirement, allowing the ruling party to pass sweeping fiscal policy reforms without input from the opposition.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But there are strict rules about what can happen in the compromise bill. Such legislation is supposed to deal with annual federal expenditures and revenues; This means that issues that do not directly affect fiscal policy are generally excluded.
The rest of the budget bill includes $73 billion for the U.S. war against Iran and $12 billion for American farmers.
GOP CIVIL WAR SHARES OVER TRUMP’S LATEST AGENDA WHILE KEY REPUBLICANS THREATENED TO BANK MEGABILL
After Tuesday’s successful vote, the second step in the reconciliation process is the passage of a framework that directs the relevant committees to prepare details on the budgets allocated to them. Those details are then rolled into a single comprehensive bill that must pass the House and Senate before heading to Trump’s desk for signature.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
This framework will be voted on Wednesday afternoon.
However, it is not clear whether it passed or not. Democratic opposition, as well as some GOP fiscal hawks, are wary that the bill would not cut spending to offset the increase in the federal budget.
