House Conservatives Lock Up Chamber Floor in Protest Over SAVE America Act

The House will not be able to do any work possibly for days after a group of hardline conservatives decided to sink a procedural motion to begin debate and consideration for a number of bills. The tactic is meant to be a protest against the Senate’s inaction on the SAVE America Act, though it’s mostly causing angst for Speaker Mike Johnson.The group of conservatives is led by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a Freedom Caucus member from Florida. Ms. Luna has been the most outspoken advocate for the SAVE America Act in the House, which would require proof of citizenship and photo ID before voting. She says the legislation must be attached to another must-past bill like the National Defense Authorization Act or the renewing of America’s warrantless spy powers, which she thinks would put Democrats in a tight spot. Ms. Luna and other hardliners believe Democrats would begrudgingly accept the SAVE America Act so long as one of those other must-pass bills makes it to the president’s desk, though senators have shown no indication of bending to pressure.In order for the House to open the floor, it must first adopt a “rule,” which is simply a measure to set parameters for debate. Without it, the House cannot pass any bills with a simple majority.On Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Luna and 12 other House Republicans helped Democrats sink the rule, meaning the House will not be able to do any legislative business until the hardliners and Mr. Johnson reconcile their differences.“Everyone in the country wants this,” Ms. Luna told reporters of the SAVE America Act. “I’m not bending on it, but I’m not the only one. There are other issues that other members had.”“I’m going to fight on behalf of the American people,” Ms. Luna said. She told reporters that she and other SAVE America Act hardliners would vote for a rule if Mr. Johnson would simply allow for an amendment vote to add the voter ID and proof of citizenship bill to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the House is hoping to pass before the July 4 holiday on Friday. Mr. Johnson’s compromise position is to allow for separate votes on both the NDAA and the SAVE America Act, though Ms. Luna and others say that that maneuver is insufficient, given the Senate could again simply refuse to take up the voting reform bill.“We’ll work on that over the next day-and-a-half and we’ll get everybody to yes,” Mr. Johnson told reporters of getting another rule vote on the floor. “It makes no sense for us to stop our very important progress from House Republicans because some Senate Democrats are refusing to do their job. That’s where we are. That’s the reality of it.”“This is life with a small margin — small majority — and we’ll work through it,” the speaker said. President Trump himself has been playing hardball with Congress over the SAVE America Act, though he has not yet weighed in on Ms. Luna’s tactics. Just last week, he refused to sign a major housing reform bill in an act of protest against Senate Republicans, who have so far refused to use a “talking filibuster” to advance the legislation, which could take months. On Monday, Mr. Trump said every single piece of legislation — not just the housing bill — is a big “yawn” compared to the SAVE America Act.

House Conservatives Lock Up Chamber Floor in Protest Over SAVE America Act

House Conservatives Lock Up Chamber Floor in Protest Over SAVE America Act

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