House Speaker Mike Johnson Seeks to Tie Election Bill to Defense Measure in Bid to Advance Senate Action
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has unveiled a procedural strategy designed to increase pressure on the Senate to consider the SAVE America Act by linking the election integrity legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), one of Congress’s most significant annual bills.
The proposal comes after conservative Republicans temporarily stalled House business while urging leadership to take stronger action on the SAVE America Act, which the House approved earlier this year. The legislation would require individuals registering to vote in federal elections to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and would establish photo identification requirements for casting ballots.
Speaking with reporters, Johnson said House Republicans intend to use a parliamentary procedure known as “MIRVing,” or “merge onto the rule,” to combine the election measure with the NDAA during floor consideration.
“We’re going to pass a MIRV, or what’s better known as a merge onto the rule,” Johnson said. “When Republicans vote for the rule, they’ll be voting not just for the NDAA and everything else that’s there, but they’ll also be voting to merge onto that the SAVE America Act we passed back in February.”
Johnson said the strategy is intended to demonstrate House Republicans’ commitment to advancing election security while ensuring the Senate addresses the legislation alongside the annual defense authorization bill.
Despite the move, the proposal faces procedural and political hurdles. If the combined package reaches the Senate, senators could still remove the election provisions during consideration. Attaching the measure to the NDAA could also complicate or delay passage of the defense bill, which authorizes military programs and national defense funding.
Reaction within the Republican conference has been mixed. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) argued that simply attaching the bill procedurally would not prevent the Senate from removing it and called for incorporating its language directly into the NDAA through amendments. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said lawmakers should review the proposal before deciding whether to support it, while House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) expressed support for efforts to advance the legislation.
Democrats continue to oppose the SAVE America Act, arguing it would create unnecessary barriers to voting. Republicans maintain the measure is necessary to strengthen election integrity by ensuring that only U.S. citizens participate in federal elections. As negotiations continue, the ultimate fate of both the NDAA and the election legislation remains uncertain.
