House Speaker Mike Johnson Unveils Strategy to Advance SAVE America Act Through Defense Bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has announced a procedural strategy aimed at increasing pressure on the Senate to consider the SAVE America Act by linking the election integrity measure to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), one of Congress’s most significant annual pieces of legislation.
The proposal comes after a standoff among House Republicans, where a group of conservative lawmakers temporarily halted routine legislative business while pressing leadership to take stronger action on the SAVE America Act. The House approved the legislation in February. The bill 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 on Monday, Johnson said House Republicans plan to use a parliamentary procedure known as “MIRVing,” or “merge onto the rule,” to combine the election measure with the NDAA during House 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 move is intended to demonstrate House Republicans’ commitment to advancing election security while encouraging the Senate to consider the legislation alongside the annual defense authorization bill. He argued that voting against the procedural rule would also mean opposing efforts to move the election measure forward.
Despite the strategy, significant procedural hurdles remain. Even if the combined package passes the House, the Senate could remove the SAVE America Act during its consideration of the NDAA. The approach also carries the risk of delaying or complicating passage of the defense bill, which authorizes military programs and defense spending for the coming fiscal year.
The proposal has drawn mixed reactions within the Republican conference. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) argued that a procedural attachment would still allow the Senate to strip the election provisions and instead called for incorporating the language directly into the NDAA through amendments. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said lawmakers should review the final proposal before deciding whether to support it, while House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) expressed support for advancing the legislation.
Democrats continue to oppose the SAVE America Act, arguing that its voter registration and identification requirements could create unnecessary barriers for eligible voters. 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 fate of both the NDAA and the SAVE America Act remains uncertain, highlighting ongoing divisions in Congress over election policy and legislative strategy.
