It’s official. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act will indeed be part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) that Speaker Mike Johnson introduced on Friday in a 46-page proposal to fund the U.S. government through the 2024 election. And the other side of the aisle is vociferously opposed to it.
above The Hill:
The 46-page plan would fund the government through March 2025 while also imposing stricter proof of citizenship requirements for voting, setting the stage for a budget confrontation with Senate Democrats later this month.
Readers may recall that the election security measure SAVE Act was passed by House Republicans in early July with the aid of some swing state Democrats. Yet Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer complained in a recent interview that it was Johnson and Republicans who wanted to push through a one-party plan—which, as my colleague Mike Miller pointed out, is simply not true:
In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Schumer (D-NY) said funding for the government could only be secured through bipartisan legislation. That’s true. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is expected to propose a stopgap measure to fund the government through the spring. That includes recent rules requiring proof of citizenship to vote – a no-go for Chucky.
….
Um, Chuck? The House of Representatives passed a federal citizenship bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, on July 10 by a vote of 221 to 198. 216 Republicans and five Democrats voted for passage.
Read more:
Obviously a lot, Chuck? Schumer refuses to say why he opposes proof of citizenship to vote
By voting on the SAVE Act, Democrats in the House of Representatives are announcing their stance on non-citizen voting
Johnson (R-LA) explained the move in remarks after the plan was released:
Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives are taking a critically significant step to keep the federal government funded and safeguard our federal election process.
Congress has a responsibility for both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.
Democrats responded in a joint statement by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), writing that “avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a one-party-crafted bill.”
It continues:
“Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake former Speaker McCarthy did a year ago by wasting valuable time pandering to the hard-line MAGA right. That tactic didn’t work last September and it won’t work this year. The House Republicans’ funding proposal is an ominous déjà vu.”
Then they threatened to close it:
“If Speaker Johnson pushes House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the likelihood of a shutdown will increase significantly, and Americans will know that the responsibility for it lies with House Republicans.”
Here’s what we know so far about the Republicans’ CR plan:
The bill introduced Friday also provides funding for a number of other items, including billions of dollars for disaster relief, about $2 billion for “shipbuilding and refitting” for the Navy, and payments to the families and heirs of deceased members of Congress. This includes payments of $174,000, the amount of a member of Congress’s annual salary, to the widows of Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) and to the legal heirs of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas).
President Joe Biden has said he will veto any legislation containing the SAVE Act that lands on his desk. As this is constantly evolving, RedState will provide updates as they become available.
Related:
There is no excuse not to pass the SAVE Act
