Trump demands Republicans use budgetary gambit to pass voting reforms
Minister Donald Trump He demands that Republicans combine a series of voting reforms with a defense spending bill that his administration is pushing Congress to pass; In the long term, he is proposing to bring both measures to his desk before lawmakers go on a long recess.
The House has repeatedly approved versions of the election bill known as the Save America Act, but the legislation lacks the support it needs to win Senate approval. Trump said he would not sign any more legislation until the measure becomes law.
Trump said overnight he had a new plan to enact election reforms: for congressional leaders to add it to his administration’s request. 350 billion dollars Additional funding for the Pentagon as part of a mega-bill that bundles all of Republicans’ election-year priorities into one piece of legislation.
“I urge House and Senate Leaders to make this their Number One Priority and ensure that the $350 Billion in Recon 3.0 is removed from the Budget Committee as soon as Congress is back in session.” Trump wrote on social media. “The SAVE AMERICA ACT that everyone wants, with full funding from our Great War Department, can be passed very quickly and ensure that the United States of America remains FREE for generations to come.”
The statement came immediately after the statement of the Speaker of the House of Representatives mike johnson what he will do one last try While Republicans are passing voting restrictions as they return from the holiday break. Johnson says he will use defense spending bill What Republicans are trying to move through a budget process known as reconciliation as a tool for electoral reforms.
The bill would require proof of citizenship to register and photo identification to vote, among other measures. Johnson, who has little chance of escaping the Senate’s 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster, has vowed to try to pass a version of it as a budget bill that would require only a simple majority in the upper chamber.
That promise did not immediately satisfy hardline conservatives who halted operations in the House of Representatives last week. Amid the riot, Johnson canceled the vote and abruptly sent MPs home ahead of the July 4 holiday. House lawmakers will return to Washington next week.
More: Donald Trump is hard to please. Did Mike Johnson crack the code?
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump leaves the White House aboard Marine One for Joint Base Andrews for Beijing, China, Washington DC, USA, May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
The Senate will also need to clear the overall measure, which is certain to draw pushback from moderates and fiscal hawks, before it goes to Trump, who refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill that passed both chambers in June to kick off the dust on voting reforms.
Even if the Senate accepts Trump’s new request, lawmakers will have little time to pass a joint bill. MPs in both chambers are scheduled to go on a week-long summer vacation at the end of July.
This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Trump demands Republicans use budget gambit to pass voting reforms
