Trump throws Mike Johnson a lifeline on the SAVE Act
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Speaker Johnson at the Capitol on June 25. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) emerged from a White House meeting Thursday with two much-needed wins:
- President Trump publicly urged House Republicans to stop tanking procedural votes, which could help unstick the House floor.
- Johnson officially transmitted the bipartisan housing bill to the White House, a sign of confidence that it's on track to become law after Trump had refused to sign it just a day earlier.
Why it matters: The SAVE America Act has consumed the House GOP, with some Republicans frustrated that a bill they've already passed three times is now paralyzing their agenda.
- Johnson was forced to scrap votes and end the House's workweek early after conservatives made clear they would tank rule votes on the floor over the Senate's failure to act on SAVE.
Driving the news: "I think it's a shame that it got canceled yesterday," Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told Axios of the housing bill signing ceremony.
- "I totally disagree with the tactic. These are his New York real estate leverage tactics he's trying to apply to the government, and I don't agree with it," Fitzpatrick added.
- "He should sign it. ... This is a win, and the House already voted on this SAVE Act three times," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios, adding that Republicans should work with Democrats on a bipartisan version of SAVE.
Zoom in: The repeated shutdowns of House floor action are wearing on members across the conference.
- "The SAVE America Act? It's over there," Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) told Axios, gesturing toward the Senate. "We did our thing, all right. So what you're gonna ... you think you're going to force over here them to do something different? That's insane, and I don't play insane."
- "What I don't like about holding the rule hostage ... is that it denies me, and the 750,000 people I represent, a vote," House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told Axios.
- "With them being obstructionist like they are, that's unfortunate, because we can't get our work done," Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) told Axios.
Yes, but: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told reporters Thursday she isn't promising to support next week's rule if leadership blocks her effort to attach SAVE to the annual defense bill.
