House Republicans are torn over how difficult to make life for the Senate as a band of rebels pressures Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to pass a national voter ID bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has cautioned House conservatives that there could be consequences to going to war with Thune, and at least one rebel who initially threatened to help shut down the House floor over the legislation now says the hardball tactics could backfire.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) warned that House conservatives risk political embarrassment after they began voting “no” on every Senate bill in protest of Thune last week. That blockade, he said, could come back to haunt them if the Senate sends over a high-priority piece of legislation.
“If I was them, that’s what I would do. I would put us in a box on something and just see how idealistic we are then,” Burchett told the Washington Examiner, naming disaster relief or funding for the Department of Homeland Security as examples.
MAGA RIGHT SOURS ON THUNE OVER SAVE ACT FIGHT
The tactic enjoys the support of dozens of House Republicans. Last week, 39 voted against a relatively uncontroversial Senate bill almost entirely to pressure Thune to use a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, which requires ID and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Ordinarily, it takes 60 votes to pass legislation in the Senate, but the talking filibuster would allow it to pass at a simple majority after a marathon of floor speeches by Democrats. The bill passed the House in February.
“There have been lots of conversations where people are frustrated, and I think you’ll see that 39 grow,” said Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), who penned a Wednesday op-ed with two other House colleagues promising to continue voting against Senate bills.
On the other side are House Republicans who see the hostility as counterproductive and believe Senate Republicans aren’t going to be “bullied” into one course of action. Thune plans to hold a vote on the SAVE America Act next week but has ruled out a talking filibuster, citing a lack of support among Senate Republicans.
“This ‘my way or the highway,’ it does not work,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a centrist who supports preserving the modern, 60-vote filibuster. He also cited DHS funding as a concern, arguing that the intraparty fight plays to Democrats’ advantage.
“If you’re a Democrat, you’d love this. They’re playing into the Democrats’ hands by doing this,” Bacon said. “So are we gonna vote against reopening Homeland Security because of the SAVE Act?”
House conservatives counter that national voter ID is politically popular and point to President Donald Trump’s endorsement of their tactics. On Sunday, the president echoed House conservatives by vowing not to sign most bills until the SAVE America Act reaches his desk.
“The president’s trying to push us to do something that’s popular. Overwhelming majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents want it,” Fine said. “This shouldn’t be hard.”
In Congress, Democrats are virtually opposed to the bill, calling it an attempt at voter suppression ahead of the midterm elections.
Thune’s vote on the SAVE America Act is meant to appease conservatives. He is expected to allow extended debate and a series of amendments that could put Democrats on the defensive, essentially creating a “mock” talking filibuster that lets Republicans keep control of the Senate floor.
But the final outcome, a failed vote that prevents the legislation from becoming law, has House rebels contemplating new ways to pressure Thune to reverse course.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has urged Johnson to “jam” the Senate by attaching the SAVE America Act to a must-pass bill, such as FISA, an extension of federal spy powers that will come to the House floor in the coming weeks.
She’s also trying to convince Trump not to endorse any Republican Senate candidates until the impasse is resolved.
“The American people elected us to deliver results not just hold messaging votes,” Luna said on social media Tuesday.
That pressure campaign could end up hurting Johnson, as Luna and other conservatives have outsize sway over the House due to Republicans’ one-seat majority. She previously held up a government funding vote until Thune agreed to have a conversation about the talking filibuster with his conference, and Luna could use procedural votes the House takes almost every week to gain additional leverage.
But not all Republicans agree with that strategy. Fine told the Washington Examiner that he does not want to penalize his House colleagues by holding up floor business.
“Saying I’m voting against everything means I’m blaming my House colleagues,” he said. “We passed the SAVE America Act – we’re not the issue.”
In terms of Senate bills, House Republicans are expected to get the chance to consider two more next week, although all so far are relatively uncontroversial, meaning the legislation will likely still pass with the votes of Democrats and Republicans not participating in the blockade.
Many of those voting “no” are members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, but Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), its chairman, told the Washington Examiner that the caucus did not “coordinate” the blockade.
The idea of voting “no” on Senate bills came up in a conference-wide call earlier this month, leading Johnson to warn his Republican colleagues to be “thoughtful and careful” about the approach.
“If we’re going to go to war against our own party in the Senate, there may be implications to that,” Johnson said, according to Fox News.
THUNE CHALKS UP MAGA PRESSURE ON SAVE ACT TO ‘PAID INFLUENCER ECOSYSTEM’
Outside activists, meanwhile, have attempted to ensure conservatives stick together on the pressure campaign. Scott Presler, who leads Early Vote Action, a PAC dedicated to electing Republicans, is hoping to meet with the House Freedom Caucus later this month and has previously visited Capitol Hill to build support for the legislation.
“Even if they are getting pressure to do ‘yes’ votes, my goal is to show any member of Congress that will continue to vote ‘no’ until the SAVE America Act is passed into law that we have their back,” Presler said.