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President Donald Trump is urging House Republicans to end a standoff that has brought legislative business to a halt as some GOP lawmakers demand Senate action on the SAVE America Act before allowing other legislation to move forward.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday, the president warned that Republicans blocking procedural votes are giving Democrats greater influence over the House agenda.
“House Republicans should unify, and stop voting down ‘Rules’ or, threatening to do so,” he wrote after meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson. “Giving power to the Radical Left Dumocrats in the House to control what goes up for a Vote will make our outcomes worse, not better. No more grandstanding, please! They are the Dumocrats, and we can’t let them WIN!”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is leading a coalition of House Republicans seeking to block floor action until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, mandate photo identification for voting, and tighten restrictions on mail-in ballots.
House Republican leaders postponed a procedural rules vote on Wednesday after the coalition threatened to oppose it, preventing the chamber from advancing legislation. With no agreement reached by Thursday, Johnson canceled Friday’s scheduled votes and adjourned the House for the week.
Before meeting with Trump, Johnson expressed optimism that the impasse could be resolved.
“We’re in an era with small margins and small majorities, and we’ve got to get things moving,” Johnson told reporters.
“We passed the SAVE Act three times in the House,” he said. “We’ll do it again. We’re working on that, and I’m going to talk with the president about these issues and how to get the agenda moving again, and it’s going to be very productive.”
The dispute has delayed consideration of several measures, including two appropriations bills, and could also affect debate on the National Defense Authorization Act if the stalemate continues.
Johnson has suggested attaching the SAVE America Act to a budget reconciliation package, which requires only simple majorities in both chambers. Luna has rejected that approach, arguing Senate reconciliation rules generally prohibit non-budgetary provisions.
