House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans are preparing yet another push to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, arguing that the legislation remains one of the party’s highest priorities as Congress returns from its July Fourth recess.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Johnson told host Shannon Bream that House Republicans intend to bring the bill back for another vote, this time by incorporating it into a budget reconciliation package—a procedural strategy that could allow the measure to clear the Senate with a simple majority rather than the usual 60 votes required for most legislation.
Johnson acknowledged that moving legislation through the narrowly divided House has proven difficult. Republicans hold one of the smallest House majorities in modern history, leaving leadership with little room for defections on major votes.
“We have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” Johnson said, explaining that internal disagreements recently prevented House leaders from advancing their legislative agenda before lawmakers departed for the Independence Day recess.
“I just decided it was best to send everybody home to go celebrate July 4th in their districts,” he said. “We’ll come back, get everybody together.”
According to Johnson, election integrity legislation now tops the House agenda.
“The big urgency is to get SAVE America passed,” he said. “The president has that as a top priority, and so do I.”
Johnson noted that the House has already approved the legislation three separate times but said Republican leaders are prepared to try again.
“We’re going to try one more time on a budget reconciliation bill, and I think that will be the way to get it through the Senate, and finally, to the president’s desk.”
The SAVE America Act would require individuals registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Supporters argue the measure would strengthen election security by preventing non-citizens from registering to vote, while opponents contend it could create additional barriers for eligible voters who may not have immediate access to the required documentation.
Johnson also discussed other election reforms that President Donald Trump has expressed interest in pursuing.
Among them is a proposal to sharply limit mail-in voting, allowing absentee ballots only under specific circumstances such as military deployment, illness, or situations in which voters cannot reasonably reach their polling place.
Johnson acknowledged, however, that those restrictions would face a steeper climb in Congress.
“He would like to add the prohibition of mail-in ballots, except for exceptions, like if somebody is deployed overseas or they’re ill or can’t get to the polling place,” Johnson said. “But he understands that one is a bigger reach.”
Instead, the speaker suggested Republicans are concentrating on provisions they believe have broader support, including proof of citizenship requirements and voter identification.
“If we can get proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote, that eliminates so much of the problem, all the fraud and everything that everybody’s concerned about in our elections,” Johnson said.
He also criticized prolonged vote counting in some states, citing California as an example.
“Look, California, they’re still counting ballots from an election that happened a month ago,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy, and everybody understands it.”
