Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. defeat The bill aims to fund the government and avert a government shutdown at the end of the month.
The funding bill failed by a vote of 220-202.
“The play we executed tonight was the right play. … It's very unfortunate that it didn't go through.”
Three Democrats crossed party lines and voted with Republicans in favor of the bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, tried to tie the election integrity bill to the funding bill in an attempt to pressure Democrats to pass it in one go.
“Every member of this conference shares our concerns on this,” Johnson said of the SAVE Act in early September, “and we believe that perhaps the most pressing issue, one of the most immediate threats facing the country, is the integrity of this election cycle.”
Johnson spoke to reporters after the bill was defeated on Wednesday.
“The play we made tonight was the right play. The right play for the American people. The right play they ask for and deserve,” he said.
“Right now we have two very important objectives,” he continued. “Congress has a duty to fund our government. Congress has a duty to ensure that our elections are safe, fair and free. Tonight's vote would have accomplished both, and I'm very disappointed that it did not pass.”
The same day, former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to defund the government unless it passed a voter integrity bill.
“If Republicans don't endorse the SAVE Act in its entirety, they should not agree to a continuing resolution in any form,” he said. Written At Truth Social, “Voting should happen before the election, it's too late after the election. Republicans, be smart…”
The election bill would require proof of citizenship before voting, but Democrats argue that election fraud is already illegal and that the new law would simply prevent legal voters from submitting their ballots.
“In practice, the SAVE Act would make it harder for millions of legal citizens to register to vote,” Rep. Mike Quigley, R-Illinois, said in a statement. “Americans would no longer be able to use only their military or tribal ID to register to vote. People who have changed their names, including millions of married women, would no longer be able to use their birth certificates to prove their citizenship.”
If Parliament cannot agree on a budget, the government will shut down 13 days after Oct. 1.
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