Mike Johnson abandons plans to attach SAVE Act to funding bill without ‘consensus’ for vote

According to The Hill, Johnson pulled the vote on the stopgap funding package that would have had the SAVE Act attached to it. The package had been opposed by several Republicans and the chances of it passing the House dwindled with the rising opposition from the GOP House members.

Donald Trump has expressed strong support for the package with the act attached that would have made it a requirement for proving citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections.

Within hours of the vote, the GOP leaders pulled it from the floor. “The whip is going to do the hard work and build consensus. We’re going to work through the weekend on that,” Johnson told reporters. “No vote today, because we’re in the consensus-building business here in Congress with small majorities.”

The day before Johnson had been full speed ahead on the vote with the amount of opposition that had bubbled up among some Republican lawmakers. Democratic leadership as well as the White House have derided the package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) labeled the package as an example of "extremism."

Johnson has been a staunch advocate for the SAVE Act, a measure that passed the House on its own earlier in the year, however it has not gone forward in the Senate. When announcing the move to pull the vote from the floor, Johnson reiterated his support of the measure, "I want any member of Congress, in either party, to explain to the American people why we should not ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in U.S. elections."

A poll from earlier this year done by McLaughlin and Associates showed that around 86 percent of voters in the US agree with the statement: "Proof of United States citizenship should be required to register to vote in American elections."