Key panel advances Johnson’s plan to merge SAVE America Act with NDAA

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The House Rules Committee on Monday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense bill, sending it to the floor for consideration.

The committee reported out a rule along party lines by a vote of 8-4 that would merge the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to the NDAA in a special process known as MIRVing.

Several conservative hardliners previously said they would oppose a procedural rule that would tee up a debate and final vote on legislation until action is taken on the SAVE America Act – and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced the plan as a way to appease the holdouts.

But the real test will be whether conservatives will support the procedural rule Tuesday. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a vocal advocate of the SAVE America Act, wrote on the social platform X Monday that the Senate could strip out the voting rights measure from the NDAA.

She also wrote after the Rules Committee hearing that, “MIRV ref NDAA won’t work.”

Johnson would need near-unanimous GOP support on the procedural rule, given his razor-thin margin in the House.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, offered an amendment during the hearing to strike out language in the rule merging the SAVE America Act to the NDAA. However, Republicans voted down his amendment.

“Let me be clear. The Senate will just strip the Save Act out. They’ve already said that merging it with the NDAA bill doesn’t prevent that. Nothing in this rule will prevent that,” McGovern said during the hearing.

“And to my Republican colleagues who want this NDAA to advance, you should also reject this rule, because all you’re doing by supporting this shell game is giving false hope to those like Representative Luna, who think that this will do something down the line. It will not make a difference at all,” McGovern added.

The procedural rule that lawmakers will vote on Tuesday also includes other legislation, such as a bill funding national security, the State Department and other relevant programs, as well as a resolution commemorating the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

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Anna Paulina Luna

Jim McGovern

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