Dozens of House Republicans Threaten To Blockade Republican Senators’ Bills Unless SAVE America Act Is Passed

A group of conservative House Republicans say they will not vote for a single Senate-passed bill until senators take up the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and a photo ID before casting a ballot. President Trump, too, is trying to play hardball in an effort to get the bill through the Senate. Mr. Trump has been pushing for the bill for months, telling Republicans that it would be an easy political win if senators were willing to fight. He says, however, that he wants other provisions added. Mr. Trump wants a severe restriction on mail voting, a ban on transgender surgeries and hormone prescriptions for minors, and a ban on transgender athletes competing in sports leagues designated for other sexes. Senator John Thune is a supporter of the bill, but as the majority leader, he says he knows he does not have the requisite number of votes in order to get a clean version of the bill through his chamber. The bill is subjected to the 60-vote threshold, but conservatives have been pushing Mr. Thune to use a “talking filibuster” — forcing Democrats to speak on the floor — which could lead to passage of the bill. If Republicans could exhaust Democrats, the bill could be passed with a simple majority. In an effort to restart their pressure campaign on the Senate, 25 House Republicans on Monday said they will not vote for any legislation that comes over from the Senate. The leader of that effort, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, says she will even vote against the bipartisan housing reform bill which is expected to come to the House floor this week. “[T]he Senate is sending a housing package to the House, and to honor my pledge I will oppose it unless SAVE America is attached,” Ms. Luna said in a post on X. “The Senate cannot keep obstructing President Trump’s agenda while ignoring election integrity. I call on my fellow colleagues to stand firm and honor their pledge.”Ms. Luna made the same threat earlier this year, though now her cohort of troublemakers is growing. Previously, only about half-a-dozen House Republicans supported voting against all bills coming over from the Senate. Now, Ms. Luna says 25 House Republicans are on her side. The group is largely composed of members of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus. The chairman of the group, Congressman Andy Harris, is on Ms. Luna’s side in this new strategic effort. Other Freedom Caucus members, including Congressman Josh Brecheen, Andrew Clyde, and Ralph Norman have also signed on to Ms. Luna’s pledge. Mr. Trump is squarely with the hardliners on this issue, though he’s using his own leverage. Just last week, he abruptly pulled the nomination of Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the new Director of National Intelligence. He says he did so in order to force Democrats to vote for a warrantless spy powers reauthorization with the SAVE America Act attached. The stick that Mr. Trump is using is to keep a loyalist, Bill Pulte, in the DNI’s office in an acting capacity — something Democrats and Republicans alike do not love. Mr. Pulte as head of the Federal House Finance Agency was responsible for the criminal investigations into Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Senator Adam Schiff.

Dozens of House Republicans Threaten To Blockade Republican Senators’ Bills Unless SAVE America Act Is Passed

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