On Wednesday, we learned that the House of Representatives is trying, again, to push through elements of the SAVE America election integrity package. This time, they will be pushing provisions from the SAVE America Act into what the House Republicans are calling "Reconciliation 3.0."
The voter identification and the proof of citizenship for registration elements should be included, at a minimum, as without those, the reforms don't carry much weight. Townhall's Senior Washington Correspondent, Cameron Arcand, reports:
The process to get a third reconciliation bill to President Donald Trump’s desk officially kicked off on Wednesday morning, as House leadership aims to get a budget resolution out of the chamber before the August recess – and it’s anticipated to include parts of the SAVE America Act along with hefty defense funding.
Senior House Republican leadership staff told reporters on Wednesday that the goal is for the resolution to pass out of the House Budget Committee on Thursday, and that the “Reconciliation 3.0” will have the primary goals of election security and “to protect and strengthen our homeland.”
“Safeguarding American elections and strengthening our national defense are the most basic responsibilities of Congress and are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans,” Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement after the resolution’s text was published.
The House, we should note, has already passed this bill three times. Three. All three times it has languished in the Senate, due to the 60-vote filibuster margin.
The staff described the proposal as a “narrow streamlined product” in order to successfully make it through both chambers, as a reconciliation bill will have to make it through past the Senate’s Byrd Rule. In the Senate, reconciliation bills only require a simple majority as opposed to the standard 60-vote majority.
“While House Republicans have UNANIMOUSLY PASSED the SAVE Act THREE TIMES, Congressional Democrats continue OBSTRUCTING our attempts to secure our elections and fund our men and women in uniform,” he added. “Not any longer.”
The trick remains the Senate. A reconciliation bill only requires a simple majority, but that may still be a climb for Senate Republicans. And, yes, Democrats will pull out all the stops in opposition, and it's not at all clear that folding any of this into a reconciliation bill will still get it through.
As there have been concerns that the Senate Parliamentarian will rule unfavorably for Republicans, particularly on the election provisions, an aide told reporters that “all efforts will be made that the product that ultimately comes out of the House will maintain privilege in the Senate.”
In the Senate, the chamber is navigating the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who chaired the Senate Budget Committee. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-W.I.) is expected to take over his role and is supportive of reconciliation efforts, Politico reported this week.
The Senate Majority Leader, Republican John Thune (R-SD), has stated support for the SAVE America Act, but has stopped short of proposing an end to the 60-vote filibuster rule, even though Democrats have promised to do precisely that at the first opportunity.
Clock's a tickin', Senator Thune.
Read More: Great News for Johnson: GOP Rebels End House Floor Holdout
‘Hard for Any Democrat to Win’: Top Dem Gives the Game Away on SAVE America Act
This is, again, the single most important and the most consequential piece of legislation before Congress in this session. If we cannot secure our elections, then nothing else matters.
Stay tuned. This isn't over.
Editor’s Note: Republicans are fighting for election integrity by requiring proper identification to vote.
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