The House of Representatives canceled its votes scheduled for Friday, June 26th, after a faction of conservative Republicans launched a blockade against all floor action until the Senate passes a specific election-integrity bill.
The schedule change came after the chamber had to scrap rules votes on Wednesday afternoon. Because the House cannot move forward on bills without passing these foundational rules, leadership chose to cut the week short.
“Members are advised that votes are no longer expected in the House on Friday, June 26th,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer announced. “The last vote for this week is expected at approximately 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. This is a change from the previously announced schedule.” The House still planned to hold a vote on a single suspension bill on Thursday before lawmakers departed Washington for the week.
The shutdown is being led by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who along with 24 other Republican members signed a formal letter pledging to vote against any Senate-passed legislation unless the SAVE America Act is cleared. The coalition includes high-profile conservatives such as Representatives Chip Roy and Brandon Gill of Texas, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Warren Davidson of Ohio, and Byron Donalds of Florida.
The SAVE America Act is a piece of legislation that would require voters across the country to provide concrete proof of citizenship and identification before they can cast a ballot in elections.
Luna made her position clear earlier in the week, pointing to a housing bill arriving from the upper chamber as the immediate target of her group’s blockade. “Myself and 24 other members have signed a letter pledging to vote NO on any Senate bills unless SAVE America is passed,” Luna said on Monday. “Now, the Senate is sending a housing package to the House, and to honor my pledge I will oppose it unless SAVE America is attached. The Senate cannot keep obstructing President Trump’s agenda while ignoring election integrity. I call on my fellow colleagues to stand firm and honor their pledge.”
Luna noted that she would be willing to end the legislative logjam under specific terms. She demanded that House Speaker Mike Johnson commit to attaching the SAVE America Act to either the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) or Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Representative Byron Donalds expressed deep frustration with the Senate’s inaction on the matter, arguing that public sentiment heavily favors the voting rules.
“The Senate sucks, I’m just gonna come out and say it, they suck,” Donalds said. “This is not hard. 80% of the American people want the SAVE America Act to pass. Not 80% of Republicans, 80% of the American people. And the only organization that refused to act is the United States Senate. Everyone else is saying this is common sense, we should do common sense things. Let’s make sure that only Americans are voting in our elections. Makes sense, right? Let’s protect the franchise of the American people, let’s make sure that the people who are sent to Washington are being voted on by Americans … And what is happening in the U.S. Senate is laziness and quite frankly, it’s disgusting.”
The friction has reverberated all the way to former President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday canceled his planned signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, declaring he would not sign it until the SAVE America Act is passed. That housing bill had already faced domestic resistance from the same conservative bloc, with 32 House Republicans—including Luna—voting against its passage in the House.
With the legislative process frozen, Speaker Johnson scheduled a Thursday meeting with Trump in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and find a path forward, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Trump has consistently ramped up pressure on Senate Republicans to force the election bill through, suggesting they should either eliminate the legislative filibuster or attach the measure to other must-pass laws. The issue has previously divided Senate Republicans. On June 10, when Trump signed an immigration enforcement reconciliation bill into law, Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky all voted against an effort to attach the SAVE America Act to it.
Trump has since raised the stakes on other legislative priorities, warning that he will actively oppose the reauthorization of FISA’s Section 702 surveillance program if the SAVE America Act is not tied directly to it.
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