House Republicans appear to be relenting in their standoff with the Senate over the SAVE America Act after passing legislation backed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
The House on Wednesday approved the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act, with 176 Republicans voting in favor — just a week after some GOP House members reportedly drew battle lines over blocking Senate priorities. President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act for weeks in a bid to advance the GOP’s election integrity agenda. (RELATED: Senate Republicans Have The Power To Force Democrats To Filibuster Voter ID — So Why Don’t They?)
While many Republicans voted in favor, 39 GOP lawmakers voted against the measure, including several members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC). The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote — including by mail — mandate photo ID for federal elections and direct states to verify citizenship and remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls.
It’s time to pass the Save America Act.
The overwhelming majority of the American people want this commonsense election integrity law passed immediately! https://t.co/DAA5KgoEN7 pic.twitter.com/iPCzpBx44w
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 5, 2026
The HFC criticized House Republicans in a post on X, expressing frustration over the passage of the bill backed by Thune.
“Last week, President Trump said we must pass the Save America Act before Congress does anything else. The House did our job but the Senate is dragging its feet. So why did the House just pass Leader John Thune’s tribal housing bill today? The House should refuse all further Senate priorities until they bring the SAVE America Act to the floor and force Democrats into a real, talking filibuster.”
Last week, President Trump said we must pass the #SaveAmericaAct before Congress does anything else. The House did our job but the Senate is dragging its feet.
So why did the House just pass @LeaderJohnThune’s tribal housing bill today?
The House should refuse all further…
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) March 4, 2026
HFC member and Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy also questioned the focus by the GOP members of Congress are focused on the tribal land legislation over the election in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“Why are the Senate and House focused on tribal land ownership instead of securing America’s elections? The House should halt consideration of Majority Leader Thune’s niche priorities until the SAVE America Act is passed and delivered to President Trump’s desk. The American people are rightly demanding action to protect our elections,” he said.
When asked about Trump’s view on the SAVE America Act’s status, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it’s still priority for the President even as the focus has shifted to the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Leavitt told the Daily Caller in a Wednesday press briefing that, “Trump is very much continuing to focus on the issues that matter here at home for the American people, including the passage of the SAVE Act.”
“[Trump] is very much continuing to focus on the issues that matter here at home for the American people, including the passage of the SAVE Act,” @PressSec tells me about the president managing the Iran-U.S. conflict + domestic issues.
On the SAVE Act, Leavitt says it is still… pic.twitter.com/zmC3nNEQzJ
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) March 4, 2026
The election integrity legislation has received support in the Senate — including from Senate Majority Leader John Thune — but has yet to be brought to the floor for a vote.
Caucus member and Republican Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen warned the Caller that momentum behind the SAVE America Act is beginning to fade. (RELATED: Mitch McConnell’s Hospital Stay Is Delaying The SAVE Act)
“The Save America Act is currently dying a slow death in the Senate. Until the Save America Act is passed, the Senate should not expect its legislation to find an easy pathway in the House,” he wrote in a statement to the Caller. “Every day this legislation is delayed is another day that the integrity of American elections is put at stake.”
HFC member and Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris also questioned the priorities of Senate Republicans and said “nothing else” should come before the SAVE Act. “When did the Senate’s priorities go out the window? When did they stop doing their job? When did they stop caring about America and the future of its elections? Nothing else should come before this,” Harris wrote in a statement to the Caller.
Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman accused Senate Republicans of instead advancing legislation that expands the federal government without addressing what he described as the country’s “real issues” in a statement to the Caller. (RELATED: John Thune Outlines GOP Strategy To Push DHS Funding Forward)
He also criticized his party’s leadership in the Senate for ignoring election integrity measures and sending what he called “irrelevant” bills to the House for votes rather than addressing the president’s priorities.
“Senate leadership keeps sending irrelevant bills to the House while refusing to address the priorities President Trump and the American people are demanding. We just watched Secretary Kristi Noem shut down Senator Adam Schiff for suggesting illegal aliens would be showing up at polling places, yet the Senate still hasn’t even brought the SAVE America Act to the floor,” Norman wrote.
Several House Republicans urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to confront Senate Republicans over the SAVE America Act, arguing the party must force a vote on the election integrity bill to energize GOP voters ahead of the midterms, sources told FOX News Digital.
Both Republican Reps. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Gill of Texas reportedly warned failing to act could hurt Republican momentum going into November.
Editor’s note: Article updated to include previous reporting on House GOP debate over the status of the SAVE America Act.