House rebels urge Johnson to confront Senate over election security bill

Some Republicans in the House are pushing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to go to war with the Senate GOP over an election security bill that has little chance of passing the upper chamber under current circumstances.

Leaders of the House of Representatives made a call open to lawmakers only on Sunday, following the major military operation launched against Iran by the United States and Israel.

After leaders briefed Republicans in the House on how Democrats would respond to the ongoing conflict, including the weeks-long government shutdown targeting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Fox News Digital was told that some lawmakers had expressed concern that the Senate had not yet taken up the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. Among other provisions, the law would require voters in federal elections to present a valid ID and proof of citizenship.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) was among those pressing the House to reject any bill from the Senate until the measure was passed, telling Johnson, according to multiple sources on the call: “If we can’t get this done, or if we can’t show that we have at least some backbone, we’re done. The midterms are done.”

At least three other House Republicans shared similar concerns. Sources on the call said Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, argued that GOP voters were “not thrilled” heading into November and that the “biggest thing” to turn this around would be to force the Senate to pass the RELIEVE America Act.

The SAVE America Act passed the House last month with the support of all Republicans and just one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

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Republicans have repeatedly pointed out that voter ID metrics have bipartisan support in various public surveys and surveys. But Democrats cast the law as an attempt to suppress voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a press conference with other members of the Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon on October 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)

The legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate to break the filibuster; That probably won’t be possible, given the nearly uniform opposition from Democrats. But House Republicans pressured Senate Majority Leader John Thune to use a mechanism known as the rolling filibuster to get around that; Thune has signaled his opposition to it, given the sheer amount of time it would consume in the Senate and the possible unintended consequences of the amendment process.

This also comes as Congress grapples with the effects of attacks on Iran and the need for the United States to ensure the safety of troops at home and abroad; both will require close coordination between the two chambers.

Sources said Johnson told Republicans during the call Sunday that he had repeatedly pressured Thune privately on the bill but was wary of creating a public rift with his fellow GOP leader.

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“If we’re going to go to war against our own party in the Senate, there could be consequences,” Johnson said at one point, according to people on the call. “So we want to be thoughtful and careful.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks with a guest at the “Citizens Only Vote Bus Tour” rally in Upper Senate Park to urge Congress to pass the Voter Eligibility to Preserve America (SAVE) Act on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

At another point on the call, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., suggested pairing the upcoming vote on DHS funding with the SAVE America Act to force the Senate to take up the issue, sources said.

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But both Johnson and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) were hesitant about such a move, given the increased threat environment following the U.S. operation in Iran.

Both spoke in favor of the SAVE America Act, people who spoke to Fox News Digital said, but cautioned that the current situation warrants leaving the DHS funding bill alone to end the partial shutdown so the department can fully operate as a national security shield.

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