Trump’s revised SAVE America Act faces headwinds in the House - Live Updates

President Donald Trump’s call for Congress to pass an expanded SAVE America Act is meeting serious doubts from senior House Republicans who doubt it can pass the chamber a third time.

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Trump’s demand for a near-total ban on mail voting remains an obstacle, and GOP leaders left that provision out when they put a version of the bill on the House floor last month.

Four people granted anonymity said those dynamics have not changed after Trump told Speaker Mike Johnson at the House Republican policy retreat Monday to draft a new version of the bill with the mail voting provision and other additions.

Several members pressed Johnson on the SAVE America Act during a question-and-answer session behind closed doors Tuesday morning, but Johnson remained noncommittal and noted Senate Majority Leader John Thune has raised concerns about the legislation tying up the other chamber.

Trump told House Republicans the sweeping elections overhaul should be their “No. 1 priority,” and he wants to tack on limits to mail voting, a ban on transgender surgeries for minors and a prohibition on transgender women participating in women’s sports.

The House has already passed two versions of the GOP elections bill, but Trump’s demand has upended plans to discuss other pre-midterm priorities at the retreat and forced leaders to consider whether to pursue a third iteration.

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Several Republican senators signaled they oppose significantly limiting mail-in ballots, with Sen. Thom Tillis saying he does not want the federal government to ban mail-in or absentee voting, and Sen. John Thune delivering a public reality check on the “talking filibuster.”

Sen. John Kennedy even floated passing the SAVE America Act through reconciliation despite an unclear budget connection.

The retreat also highlighted internal tensions over rhetoric and messaging, as Speaker Mike Johnson said he has discussed “our tone and our message” with two House Republicans who made anti-Muslim remarks but defended the lawmakers’ right to oppose “the imposition of Sharia law.”

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Johnson said, “Look, there’s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment, that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem,” and he framed the issue as a conflict over assimilation and the Constitution.

The article notes neither Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) nor Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) differentiated between the Muslim faith and Sharia law, and House Republican leaders including No. 3 Republican Tom Emmer largely sidestepped direct condemnation of the rhetoric.

Members at the retreat also debated other priorities and budgeting as the SAVE America push complicates legislative plans.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said Congress should not find spending cuts to offset the total cost of the Middle East war and expected military spending, arguing “war is never paid for when you fight it, it’s paid for over time.”

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House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington urged a new reconciliation bill focus on “fraud prevention” in safety-net programs and said he wants to revisit Medicaid spending-cut proposals and identify Pentagon spending cuts to offset new military investments.

But Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith expressed skepticism about pursuing another reconciliation bill, saying, “I’d love to do a second reconciliation bill, but I’d also love to be Brad Pitt,” and aides noted Trump did not mention a second megabill in his address, which contributors said does not bode well for that effort.