Fox News anchor Bret Baier is providing a big update on the Save America Act and what is happening to the bill in Congress.
After speaking with President Donald Trump and other Republicans this week, Baier revealed that many lawmakers are still pushing hard for the bill to be passed before November’s midterms.
The U.S. House has already passed the Save Act three times. Now, it’s been sitting in the U.S. Senate.
Below is a transcript of Baier and Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy providing an update on the situation:
BAIER: “As we told you earlier, while lawmakers are split over the president’s handling of the Iran conflict, both Republicans and Democrats are facing their own internal political problems. Republicans are grappling with a legislative stalemate over the SAVE America Act as Democrats are divided over competing visions for their party’s future. Chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram is following it all from Capitol Hill.”
[Clip starts]
PERGRAM (voice-over): “President Trump direct in his meeting with Senate Republicans.”
Trump: ‘We like everybody really in the room. I don’t like a few people, but that’s okay. I think you know who they are.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “The president verbally sparred with GOP Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. The president ditched Cassidy in the Louisiana primary. Cassidy then voted to hamstring the president on Iran.”
CASSIDY: “The president didn’t want to hear my question, interrupted me. I didn’t care to be interrupted. (…) And I’m not going to be bullied when I’m trying to get answers for the American people. So — so it escalated from there.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “The president demanded the Republicans kill the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, but that remains stalled.”
TUBERVILLE: “I don’t know whether it moved him. If they don’t change their vote after that talk, then we won’t be able to get to them.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “When pressed about the signing of the bipartisan housing bill, the president pivoted to last night’s New York Democratic primary.”
Trump: “The people that they are pushing are communists, and this country is not going to have communists.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “Democratic socialists ran the table.”
CHEVALIER: “What we have delivered here today is a clear mandate.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “Republicans say Democratic socialists could alarm mainstream voters.”
Johnson: “There are many Mamdanis popping up all around the country.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries downplayed the primary results.”
Jeffries: “I think there are two current members of the DSA that are part of the House Democratic Caucus out of 215. That number may grow to four.”
PERGRAM (voice-over): “Some Democrats doubt that the DSA showing resonates.”
BLUMENTHAL: “New York is not the nation. And all politics is, in fact, local.”
[Clip ends]
PERGRAM: “The House GOP’s campaign arm sent condolence flowers to Jeffries after his preferred candidates lost. Republicans say Jeffries’ influence is waning. Bret?”
WATCH:
House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a new strategy this week to force Senate action on the SAVE America Act.
The Speaker announced plans to merge the election integrity measure with the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act after conservatives brought House business to a standstill.
The move comes after a group of hard-line Republicans refused to support procedural rules needed to advance legislation unless the Senate acts on the SAVE America Act or the House takes additional steps to pressure the upper chamber.
The SAVE America Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and require voters to present identification when casting a ballot.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Johnson said House Republicans would use an unusual parliamentary procedure known as “MIRVing” to package the two bills together before sending them to the Senate.
“We’re going to pass a MIRV, or what’s better known as a merge onto the rule,” Johnson said.
“So what that means is, when Republicans vote for the rule, they’ll be voting not just for the NDAA and everything else is there, but they’ll be voting to merge onto that the SAVE America Act we passed back in February.”
Johnson said the maneuver would ensure the Senate receives both measures together.
“So that will send both of those items together over to the Senate, and so if any Republicans choose to vote against the rule, they will be voting against that outcome. So we think this is another good way to show the resolve of the House.”
The proposal is designed to demonstrate House Republicans’ commitment to election integrity legislation while attempting to increase pressure on the Senate to consider the bill.
