House Republicans want to require proof of citizenship to vote, and they have found a way around the Senate filibuster to do it.
Speaker Mike Johnson and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil are pushing to fold the core provisions of the SAVE Act into the budget reconciliation process. That move would let the legislation clear the Senate with just 50 votes instead of the usual 60, bypassing the need for any Democratic support.
The SAVE Act, backed by President Donald Trump, has passed the House multiple times. It keeps dying in the Senate, where Republicans cannot break a Democratic filibuster on their own.
Special offer for our readers:
Stop Throwing Out Money: Pay No Interest Until 2027
As originally reported, Steil outlined the strategy in an interview with Fox News Digital. I’d rather pass the SAVE America Act,” he said. “But recognizing that the Senate might not be able to get that done with the 60-vote threshold, let’s leverage the parliamentary procedure, bring that threshold down to 50, and get some really commonsense reforms done.”
The two provisions Steil wants to carry through reconciliation are straightforward. First, voters would need to provide proof of citizenship when registering for federal elections. Second, a photo identification requirement would apply nationally to federal races.
Democrats have strongly opposed both measures, arguing they could make it harder for eligible Americans to register or cast a ballot. Republicans counter that the provisions are necessary to guarantee that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections.
Steil said he believes the votes are there in the Senate if leadership moves. “I actually think there’s 50 votes in the Senate for some of these really commonsense provisions,” he said. “I’d like to be sooner rather than later, but I don’t control them.”
The reconciliation path is not simple. The Senate parliamentarian reviews every provision and can remove anything that does not have a direct and significant effect on federal spending, revenue, or debt. Provisions seen as primarily policy changes do not survive that review.
Steil’s argument for keeping the citizenship and ID requirements alive centers on federal money already flowing to states through the Help America Vote Act. By tying the provisions to that funding, he believes they can clear the parliamentarian’s threshold. “We could free up those funds or enhance those funds for states to do those post-election audits,” he said.
On the photo ID side, Steil pointed to Real ID as a possible vehicle. “Effectively, when an individual gets Real ID, they’re proving their citizenship,” he said, suggesting that making Real ID the national standard could accomplish the citizenship mandate through the back door.
Steil said he wants Congress to act before the November midterm elections, though he acknowledged the timeline is tight and the Senate sets its own pace. The reconciliation process still requires both chambers to approve budget instructions before committees can even begin drafting the relevant provisions.
