Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to bypass Democratic opposition on a key election integrity bill took a major step forward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.It’s a major victory for Johnson, R-La., who had to overcome a wall of left-wing opposition and threats of a rebellion within his own GOP ranks.House Republicans are working to move the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as part of a larger $95 billion budget bill that, if successful, would completely sideline Democrats to implement election reforms sought by President Donald Trump.Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S.Capitol on June 10, 2026.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)They’re using a mechanism called budget reconciliation, which allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy by lowering the Senate’s threshold for advancement from 60 votes to a simple majority.In exchange, however, the legislation is subject to intense scrutiny under a strict set of guidelines about what actually counts as true fiscal policy.The bill up for consideration on Wednesday was just the first House-wide step in passing a reconciliation package, which is adopting a framework with spending instructions for relevant committees who will then cobble individual portions together into a massive piece of legislation.
Both the House and Senate must pass identical versions before it goes to the president’s desk.REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE'S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAYBut fiscal hawks had warned for days that they are uneasy with the lack of budget cuts in the framework to offset the $95 billion in new spending.Rep.Chip Roy, R-Texas, said he was leaning in support but still undecided.Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 13, 2026.
(Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)"People wonder why the so-called 3AM cau...