A group of House Republicans is threatening to block Senate legislation unless Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America Act), escalating pressure on lawmakers as the controversial voter identification proposal moves through Congress.
Republican Representative Brandon Gill on Saturday, March 15, said that between 40 and 50 House Republicans are prepared to vote against any Senate legislation until the bill is approved.
“I would guess that right now there are probably 40 or 50 Republicans that are not going to vote for any piece of legislation from the Senate,” Gill said in an interview on Fox News.
“That’s a large chunk of the Republican conference.”
The SAVE America Act proposal would require Americans registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
Republicans warn of election consequences
Gill said the issue has become a central political priority for Republican lawmakers. He also warned that failing to pass the bill could create political problems for Republicans ahead of upcoming elections.
“It’s going to be hard for us to go back to our voters in November and tell them, listen, you gave us control of the House, you gave us control of the Senate, and we couldn’t get a common-sense voter ID bill passed,” he said.
Also Read: Trump Turns Up Heat on Senators Opposing Voter ID Bill Ahead of Vote
According to Gill, the legislation could play a major role in determining whether Republicans retain their majority in the House.
“That’s going to be really difficult. So I hope the Senate sees that this is key to us maintaining control of the House.”
On her part, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna in an interview with Fox News said, “there’s no excuse for not embracing the standing filibuster” in the Senate, urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune to “force your Senators to do their job.”
Hurdles to pass SAVE America Act in Senate remain
Despite strong backing from House Republicans, the bill faces significant procedural obstacles in the Senate as most legislation requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster under Senate rules.
Republican Senator Mike Lee earlier this week proposed using a “hybrid talking filibuster” approach to keep the bill on the Senate floor for an extended period before attempting to advance it.
Lee said Republican leaders have been working closely with Senate leadership to find a strategy to force a vote.
“We’re going to bring it to the floor. We’re going to debate it for an extended period of time before filing cloture,” he said.
Also Read: Republicans Unveil ‘Hybrid Filibuster’ Plan to Pass Trump Voter ID Bill
The threat from dozens of House Republicans could complicate the legislative process if the group follows through with its plan to oppose Senate bills.
Blocking Senate legislation would effectively stall parts of the congressional agenda and increase pressure on Senate leaders to act on the voter eligibility measure.
The bill previously passed the House by a narrow margin and is now awaiting action in the Senate. If enacted, the legislation would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
Acceptable documents could include a passport, birth certificate, or other approved identification verifying citizenship status.
Representative Gill had earlier said he plans to oppose legislation coming from the Senate until the SAVE America Act is approved.
“I’ll be voting NO on all Senate bills,” Gill said, pledging to block other measures until the voter eligibility legislation advances.
Senator Thune has already indicated the chamber plans to take up the SAVE America Act next week.
