Congress Against the Clock: Lawmakers Face Deadline as SAVE America Act Fight Continues

Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill next week for its final legislative session, but the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which has continued to stall the Congressional agenda, continues to divide members.

The SAVE America Act has put Congress’ legislative agenda on hold for the last few weeks, with Senators calling one another out for not advocating hard enough for the legislation, and members of the House of Representatives refusing to vote on any other measures.

Representative Michael Cloud (R-TX) told NewsMax this week that the Senate continues to stand in the way of the SAVE Act by adhering to the filibuster. By getting rid of it or changing its procedural rules, Rep. Cloud said they can get the act passed.

“The Senate [is] looking at past procedures, self-inflicted benchmarks of 60 votes, and the like is not the way to go,” Rep. Cloud said.

Senators from both parties have spoken out against this, as it would weaken the Senate's longstanding rule that protects against sweeping partisan legislation. Rep. Cloud said he is tired of these excuses.

“We see them every time it gets brought up: ‘Well, it’s going to take a lot of work. Might take a few weeks of debate,’” Rep. Cloud said.

But Congress does not have a few weeks.

With just two more weeks before its August recess, Congress has minimal time to pass the remaining legislation for this year—much of which includes annual appropriations bills like defense and government funding.

Time is not the only constraint on lawmakers, though.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been absent from Capitol Hill since early June due to a recent fall and hospitalization. The senator remains hospitalized, while the state of his health is unknown to the public and even President Donald Trump himself.

Sen. McConnell’s absence would put the Republican Senate majority at 52-47, which would make meeting the 60-vote threshold to pass the SAVE America Act even more difficult.

“We need to get the SAVE America Act passed,” Rep. Cloud continued to stress. “It’s the most popular bill in the country right now. It needs to be done.”