Trump Demands the All-but-Doomed SAVE Act. The Value for Him May Be in the Fight.

Trump SAVE Act push fails as House GOP counts votes, escalating election-year border fight

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump demanded House Republicans attach the SAVE Act to a must-pass spending bill, but GOP leaders conceded they lacked votes hours later.

The measure, which requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, fell short of the 218 votes needed, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday evening.

Trump pressed the issue after Johnson had already abandoned the plan once, arguing only citizens should vote and that Democrats would otherwise “cheat.”

The Constitution already bars non-citizens from federal elections, and multiple studies show illegal voting is statistically rare, according to state election audits.

House Freedom Caucus members threatened to oppose any spending package lacking the SAVE Act, risking a government shutdown when funding expires September 30.

Johnson canceled a planned floor vote on a six-month stopgap after the White House veto threat and Senate Democratic opposition made passage impossible.

Trump posted on Truth Social that Republicans “must get the SAVE Act or close it down,” raising pressure on swing-district lawmakers facing tough re-election fights.

Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, meaning 4 defections would sink the bill; at least 8 moderates publicly opposed tying border language to funding.

The House Rules Committee yoked the SAVE Act to a continuing resolution that would fund agencies at fiscal 2024 levels through March 2025.

Johnson told reporters the strategy was designed to “force Democrats to secure our elections,” though fewer than 20 non-citizen votes were found in 2022 nationwide.

Democrats labeled the maneuver a “shiny object” meant to energize the Republican base ahead of the November 5 presidential rematch between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the bill’s collapse showed GOP chaos and predicted House Republicans would ultimately pass a clean funding extension with Democratic help.

Congress has approved stopgap funding four times since fiscal 2023, avoiding shutdowns after bipartisan Senate votes each time, according to Congressional Research Service data.

The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy promising to veto any CR containing the SAVE Act, calling it redundant and voter-suppressive.

Office of Management and Budget officials said the requirement would block 9 million naturalized citizens who lack passports or birth certificates from registering.

Trump seized on the issue after years of claiming without evidence that millions of undocumented immigrants cast ballots against him in 2016 and 2020.

His Save America PAC emailed supporters asking for donations to “stop voter fraud” minutes after his initial Truth Social post demanding the SAVE Act.

Steve Bannon told his “War Room” podcast the fight could galvanize turnout even if the bill dies, describing it as “a clarifying moment for the base.”

House GOP campaign officials privately warned that forcing another shutdown vote could endanger 18 members in districts President Joe Biden carried in 2020.

Background

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act passed the House in July with 216 Republican votes and 5 Democrats, but the Senate never took it up.

The bill specifies only passports, birth certificates, or naturalization papers suffice for federal voter registration; states currently accept sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury.

Congress last allowed a government shutdown during Trump’s first term, a 35-day lapse that ended in January 2019 after airports faced staffing shortages.

What’s Next

Johnson said he will meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week to chart a path forward, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer prepared a bipartisan CR for floor action next week.

The House must act by September 30 or federal agencies will begin furloughing 2 million civilian workers and suspending services ranging from food inspections to national park access, according to the Office of Personnel Management.