President Donald Trump is facing pushback regarding the funding agreement he struck with Senate Democrats. A growing faction of House conservatives is threatening to oppose the deal unless specific conditions are met.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) finds himself in a tricky position, insisting that the Election Integrity Act be included in the pro-Trump deal he negotiated last week with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The government shutdown has now reached its third day. Adding the Protection of American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) to the existing proposal would lead to the need for further Senate deliberation, and Schumer has pledged to block it if submitted. This scenario raises the possibility of an extended shutdown.
Trump took to Truth Social to encourage House Republicans to support the funding deal, stating, “I’m working hard with Speaker Johnson to ensure we pass the current funding agreement through the House and send it to my desk. I plan to sign it immediately!” He further emphasized, “We need the government to remain open, and I hope both Republicans and Democrats will support this bill without delay. No changes can be made right now.”
House Republicans, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), have proposed attaching the SAVE Act to a five-bill funding package, along with requesting a short-term extension for funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The SAVE Act would mandate that states verify citizenship when registering voters and enforce the removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) expressed to FOX News Digital that he would not support advancing the funding agreement without the SAVE Act. Others like Rep. William Timmons (R-Missouri) and Rep. Eric Burleson (R-Missouri) have echoed similar sentiments.
The bill has been on the back burner since its introduction in the House last year, and it faces slim chances in the Senate, especially given the filibuster limit of 60 votes and Democratic reluctance to engage with the proposal.
The House Rules Committee, an essential group for moving the bill, was scheduled to meet to review funding accords. Johnson convened with committee members ahead of their scheduled session.
If the SAVE Act does not advance, it could thwart any chances of garnering House Democratic support, which is already tenuous. Furthermore, should the Senate receive the bill, Democrats are prepared to block it.
However, without the SAVE Act, a faction of House conservatives might challenge the funding deal during a procedural vote, complicating the process further. The House Rules Committee has established a full-house rules vote that, if successful, would initiate a discussion and set the stage for a final vote on the bill.
Votes on such measures typically follow party lines. Following the recent swearing-in of new House Democrats from Texas, Johnson now operates with a slim majority.
Schumer publicly criticized the proposed measures, deeming them reminiscent of “Jim Crow-era laws” and asserting that they would serve to suppress voter participation rather than enhance election security. He claimed, “If House Republicans incorporate the SAVE Act into a bipartisan spending package, it will only prolong the shutdown initiated by the Trump administration.”
