Chip Roy tells GOP 'put up or shut up' on SAVE Act as reps, senators hesitate to attach it to spending bill

GOP Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is sending a message to House Republicans, to "put up or shut up," regarding the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. This comes as several House Republicans have been hesitant on pushing the measure. The SAVE Act would make it a requirement to prove citizenship to vote in federal elections nationwide. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) indicated to other Congressmen on Wednesday in a private call that he would be attaching the SAVE Act to the spending package, which could avoid a potential government shut down on Oct. 1.

Roy wrote in an op-ed at Breitbart that even though he is "no fan of funding extensions (aka 'continuing resolutions')" and would like to pass separate appropriations bills for spending, that the separate spending packages are not feasible given the time that they have. Roy said that if a joint spending package or continuing resolution is passed, that the GOP has to "put up or shut up" regarding attaching the SAVE Act to the spending bill.



House members Matt Rosendale (R-MT)–who is not up for reelection—as well as Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is running in a deep red district, have come out in opposition to attaching the SAVE Act to the bill. Rosendale said that the plan from Johnson is a "disingenuous and dishonest messaging bill" that will not pass the SAVE Act or "reduce our deficit."

"I wasn't sent to Washington to deliver disingenuous and dishonest messaging bills. I was sent to Washington to deliver results for Montanans," Rosendale said in the caption. Fox News reporter Liz Elkind said that Massie would vote against the plan to attach the SAVE Act to the spending package.

Roy argued in his Breitbart piece that "uniparty" Senate leaders Chuck Shumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) "hate this play" with the SAVE Act. "It puts them in the last place on earth they want to be: trapped in indefensible opposition to the demands of the vast majority of the American people," he added.

"Democrats have tried — and failed — to dismiss the importance of the SAVE Act, erroneously claiming that allowing millions of illegal aliens into the country will not impact our elections because, according to the Biden-Harris administration, 'It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections,'" Roy wrote, then pointing out that many Republican-led states have found non-citizens on their voter rolls. "Executive branches in critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina are controlled by Democrats and have made no such effort," he wrote.

"Democrats — and too many Republicans — also fear the prospect of a future Trump administration. That is why the uniparty wants a lame duck session because it provides the opportunity to hamstring the next administration," Roy added.

GOP nominee Donald Trump has endorsed the move and has called on House Republicans to attach the act to the spending package. During an appearance on the Monica Crowley Show last week, when he was asked about the proposal, stated, “I would shut down the government in a heartbeat if they don’t get it." 

“It should be in the bill. And if it’s not in the bill, you want to close it up,” Trump added. “So, I’m not there but, you know, I have influence.” In order to move a spending package forward, House Republicans and Democrats will have to agree on something, but Democrats have decried the SAVE Act despite over 85 percent of voters agreeing with the statement, "Proof of united states citizenship should be required to register to vote in American elections," according to a McLaughlin & Associates poll. The House already passed it as a standalone measure, and Democrats in response called it a “partisan scare tactic meant to erode confidence in our elections." 

A Senior House GOP leadership aide told The Post Millennial in response to a Politico report saying that some in the House GOP are vulnerable if they vote for attaching the SAVE Act, “The notion that voting to responsibly fund the government for six more months and to preclude non-American citizens from voting in American elections is a difficult vote for Republicans is laughable. We look forward to Democrats answering for why they are so committed to barring states from asking for proof of citizenship when registering to vote.”

The parties are not close to deciding on a spending package deal, so a continuing resolution stopgap would be a temporary solution. If the stopgap attached to the SAVE Act passes the House with support from Republicans, it would put Senate Democrats in a tough position to refute a measure that over 80 percent of the country agrees with. The deadline for a spending package solution to pass is on September 30, or the government will shut down.