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The dam constructed by Republican hardliners that held up action on the House floor for two weeks is showing cracks, an encouraging sign for GOP leaders hoping to get back to regular business on the House floor early Tuesday afternoon.
Republicans will again try to use an unusual procedural mechanism to “merge” the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a voter ID bill pushed by President Trump, with must-pass legislation.
The House Rules Committee on Monday teed up a procedural vote to attach the SAVE America Act to a State Department appropriations bill that leaders will attempt to pass this week.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), one of 13 House Republicans who helped block floor business before the Independence Day recess, had dismissed that tactic when it was used on a package that included the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — arguing at the time that the procedure would not do enough to pressure the Senate to push the bill through.
But this week, she signaled she is warming to the tactic.
“We will try the MIRV process on the condition that Speaker Johnson attaches the SAVE America Act to all the appropriation bills and all must-pass bills here in the House and ensures it is sent to the Senate as one bill,” Luna said on X Monday night. “If John Thune strips it out in the Senate that will be on him and the entire country should be watching what he does.”
Asked Tuesday about the plan for using the MIRV maneuver liberally on must-pass bills, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said: “Be watching for lots of MIRVs.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), another Republican who had helped to block floor action last week, also said Tuesday that the MIRV procedure plan “gives us a little more comfort.”
Burchett said he had not decided how he would vote, but said that “I think we’re leaning in favor of it, though, from what I understand.”
The Trump-pushed SAVE America Act would impose voter ID and proof of citizenship for voter registration.
That issue, though, is not the only determining factor for the holdouts who blocked floor action. There is another faction of Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who are demanding a vote on a bill to codify Trump’s border policies, and to be more aggressive with legislating in general.
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), one of those Freedom Caucus members who blocked floor action two weeks ago, declined to answer questions about what he would do today after a House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday morning.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) as of Monday night said he was still a no on the rule.
“We need to deliver on codifying border security, deal with the birthright citizenship issue. These are all issues people that I represent care about intently, and that we’ve talked about doing. And we need to deliver,” Roy said.
In the slim majority, Johnson can afford to lose no more than three Republicans, assuming all members are present and voting.
Johnson’s moment of truth will come in the early afternoon. A vote on the rule is scheduled at 1:30 p.m.
Sudiksha Kochi contributed.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Anna Paulina Luna Chip Roy John Thune Keith Self Mike Johnson Tim BurchettCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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