House Republicans resurrect Save America Act by adding it to spending bill

House Republicans have resurrected the "Save America Act," a measure seeking new nationwide voting restrictions, by attaching it to an unrelated spending bill. The House passed both largely along party lines, marking another attempt to enact the legislation championed by Donald Trump.

The "Save America Act" proposes banning mail-in ballots and instituting stricter voter identification requirements. While proponents argue it's necessary to prevent non-citizen voting and combat fraud, voting rights advocates express concern that it could disenfranchise eligible voters ahead of the November midterm elections. The House previously approved a version of the bill in February, but it faced insurmountable opposition in the Senate.

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I’ll say it as many times as it takes: the [Save America] Act is dead on arrival here in the Senate.

Despite the lack of a clear path forward, conservative House Republicans have pushed for the bill's passage. Speaker Mike Johnson agreed to combine it with a bill authorizing spending for the State Department and related agencies. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has reiterated his party's firm opposition, stating the "Save America Act" is "dead on arrival" in the Senate and vowing to block any attempt to resurrect what he termed "the old ghost of Jim Crow."

Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that Congress pass the "Save America Act," even disrupting the legislative agenda to emphasize his point. He previously tied its passage to the renewal of a foreign surveillance law and refused to sign a federal housing policy bill until progress was made. Conservative lawmakers had previously stalled House proceedings to pressure leadership, but relented this week to support Johnson's strategy. This maneuver, however, raises the possibility of a government shutdown if Republicans insist on including the "Save America Act" in appropriations legislation.

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I don’t care how Republicans try to package their plan to resurrect the old ghost of Jim Crow – we will kill it.