House conservatives block rule advancing NDAA over SAVE America Act

House House conservatives block rule advancing NDAA over SAVE America Act Comments: by Sudiksha Kochi - 06/30/26 2:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Sudiksha Kochi - 06/30/26 2:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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A band of conservative hardliners blocked a procedural rule that would have teed up debate and final votes on a slate of legislation Tuesday, dealing a huge blow to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as he aims to advance a packed agenda this week.

The lower chamber voted 198-224 to reject the rule, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats in opposing the measure.

GOP Reps. Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Eric Burlison (Mo.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Randy Fine (Fla.), Andy Harris (Md.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Max Miller (Ohio), Chip Roy (Texas), Keith Self (Texas), Victoria Spartz (Ind.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.) voted against the rule. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) also switched his vote to no so Republican leaders could call the bill back up.

The vote continues the paralysis of the House floor, where several conservatives had ground most activity to a halt amid frustrations that the Senate has yet to take action on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

The rule on Tuesday included language that would have merged the SAVE America Act with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) once it passed the House, sending both measures to the Senate in one package through a special process called MIRVing.

Johnson had announced the plan on Monday, in an effort to appease hardliners.

However, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who had pushed to attach the SAVE America Act to the NDAA via an amendment, argued that the Senate could still easily strip out the voter ID bill. The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and the presentation of an ID to cast a ballot. Trump has repeatedly called for the measure to be passed.

“The current plan being proposed by HOUSE GOP to “MIRV” NDAA + SAVE AMERICA is a procedural head fake. This does not do anything but guarantee the Senate will EASILY TAKE OUT SAVE America from the NDAA,” Luna posted on X shortly before the vote. “HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP SHOULD allow an AMENDMENT to ATTACH VOTER ID + PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP or SAVE America to the ACTUAL TEXT of NDAA. IF IT IS NOT DONE THIS WAY, IT WILL EASILY BE TAKEN OUT.”

However, the Senate would still be able to remove any SAVE America Act provision even if it was in the base text of the NDAA the House passed.

Turner, for his part, had aimed to use the NDAA as a vehicle to restore terminated Delphi retiree pensions but Johnson said that Turner’s proposal faced a point of order problem because “it was appropriating on an authorizing measure.”

Turner was joined in his dissent by fellow Ohio Republican Miller and Spartz.

The rule, if passed, would have advanced the NDAA, an appropriations bill funding national security and the State Department, a resolution commemorating the anniversary of the enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and other measures.

It’s back to the drawing board for Johnson, as the fate of the GOP’s legislative agenda hangs in the balance. Johnson needs near-unanimous GOP support on any procedural rule, given his razor-thin margin.

The SAVE America Act has passed the House, but stalled in the Senate, where Democrats have vowed to oppose it, leaving it short of the votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has dismissed conservatives’ calls to eliminate or reform the filibuster to pass the bill.

Trump last week urged House Republicans to unify and stop voting down rules in a Truth Social post, after meeting with Johnson.

Emily Brooks contributed.