Mike Johnson vows to attach SAVE Act to government funding bill despite opposition

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is going full speed ahead on attaching the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown. This comes amid opposition coming from the White House as well as congressional Democrats. A few Republicans have also taken issue with the vote.

According to The Hill, Johnson will continue forward with a rule vote on Tuesday. “We’re going to put the SAVE Act and the CR together and we’re going to move that through the process,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “I am resolved to that. We’re not looking at any other alternative or any other step; I think it’s the right thing to do.”



There are six Republicans who have signaled that they will not be voting yes on the bill, according to the outlet. The SAVE Act would make it a requirement for people to prove citizenship in order to register to vote. The concern of non-citizens voting in US elections has come up time and time again as multiple states have removed ineligible voters from rolls.

When Johnson was pressed on the outlook of the vote with the several Republicans planning on voting in opposition to the bill, “You all know how I operate: You do the right thing, and you let the chips fall where they may.”

The SAVE Act, which was passed earlier this year as a standalone measure, has been attached to the GOP-led funding bill that would fund the government until March 2025. After Johnson unveiled the measure last week, Democrat leaders immediately labeled it as "extreme" and the Biden-Harris administration "strongly opposes" the measure.

Despite opposition to the bill, according to a poll from McLaughlin & Associates earlier this year notes that over 86 percent of Americans agree with the statement "proof of United States citizenship should be required to register to vote in American elections."

Democrats have proposed to pass a short-term stopgap funding package in order to deal with the funding debacle that has happened consistently in recent years.