Trump demands Republicans use budgetary gambit to pass voting reforms
President Donald Trump is demanding that Republicans combine a series of voting reforms with a defense spending bill his administration is pushing Congress to pass, in a long-shot bid to bring both measures to his desk before lawmakers leave on an extended recess.
The House has repeatedly approved versions of the elections bill, known as the SAVE America Act, but the legislation lacks the support it needs to clear the Senate. Trump has said he will not sign any other legislation until the measure becomes law.
Trump said he had a new plan overnight to try to move the election reforms: for congressional leaders to attach it to his administration's request for $350 billion in additional funding for the Pentagon, as part of a mega bill that wraps all of Republicans' election-year priorities into one piece of legislation.
"I am calling on House and Senate Leadership to make this their Number One Priority, and ensure that 350 Billion Dollars in Recon 3.0 moves out of the Budget Committee as soon as Congress is back in session," Trump wrote on social media. "The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come."
The declaration came on the heels of an announcement by House Speaker Mike Johnson that he'd make one last attempt at passing voting restrictions when Republicans return from a holiday break. Johnson said he'd use the defense spending bill that Republicans are trying to move through a budgetary process known as reconciliation as a vehicle for the elections reforms.
Among other measures the bill would require proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to vote. With little chance of surviving the Senate's 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster, Johnson has pledged to try and pass a version of it as a budget bill, which requires just a simple majority in the upper chamber.
The pledge did not immediately satisfy hardline conservatives, who ground operations in the House to a halt last week. Amid the rebellion, Johnson canceled votes and abruptly sent lawmakers home ahead of the July 4 holiday. House lawmakers are due to return to Washington next week.
The Senate would also need to clear the catch-all measure that is sure to receive pushback from moderates and fiscal hawks before it could go to Trump, who refused in June to sign a bipartisan housing bill that passed both chambers over the voting reforms dustup.
Even if the Senate takes up Trump's new demand, legislators will have very little time to pass a joint bill. Lawmakers in both chambers are scheduled to leave on a weekslong summer recess at the end of July.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump demands Republicans use budgetary gambit to pass voting reforms
Reporting by Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 6:26 AM.