House Republicans Bundle Defense Funding with Voter-ID Measures Ahead of Midterms

In the current week, the House of Representatives is set to vote on the annual defense policy bill that authorizes more than $1 trillion in military spending. The measure also contains a $95 billion budget plan earmarked for financing the war in Iran and a separate provision that restricts stock trading by members of Congress. Under a complex maneuver engineered earlier this week, Republican leaders intend to merge these three components with major elements of the SAVE America Act—a voting-restriction bill the House passed in February that would require nationwide voter identification and proof of citizenship, and limit mail voting. The combined package would then be sent to the Senate for consideration.

New York Times

President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the voter-identification legislation as his top priority, framing it as essential to combating what he claims is rampant election fraud. Speaker Mike Johnson has pushed the merger as a way to placate Trump and far-right House Republicans who are frustrated that the voting bill stalled in the Senate. By attaching the SAVE America Act to a defense-spending bill that must pass to fund the military and the Iran war effort, GOP leaders hope to force Senate action on the election reforms. Senate Republicans, however, view the voting-restriction component as dead because it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

New York Times

• Defense spending: over $1 trillion authorized for the fiscal year.

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• Iran war funding: $95 billion allocated within the defense bill.

New York Times

• Voting-law enforcement: $10 billion included in the budget plan to support the new identification and citizenship-proof requirements.

New York Times

President Donald Trump has labeled the voter-ID legislation as his “top priority” and urged Congress to act swiftly. Speaker Mike Johnson framed the merger as a necessary compromise to satisfy both the president’s agenda and the demands of hard-line House Republicans. Senate Republicans have publicly stated that, without a filibuster-proof majority, the voting-restriction provisions are unlikely to advance.

New York Times

If the combined bill passes the House, it will place the Senate in a position of having to consider a massive defense package that also contains contentious election-law changes. The strategy could pressure Senate leaders to negotiate, but the lack of sufficient bipartisan support for the voting provisions suggests they may be stripped out during Senate deliberations. The outcome will shape the GOP’s legislative agenda heading into the upcoming midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake.

New York Times