The Deal Ensuring Conservatives’ Border Security and SAVE America Act

In a deal to open the House Floor, conservatives have the chance to pass the SAVE America Act and codify President Donald Trump’s border policies, two major policy pushes ahead of the midterms.

In a 215-211 vote, the House of Representatives passed a rare procedural rule on Tuesday afternoon that opened the House floor, after no legislative action for three weeks.

Now, lawmakers will look to attach the SAVE America Act to any four pieces of approved legislation. The House will vote on the four bills, governed by the rule individually, before they are lumped together as one final product and sent to the Senate. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., needed to pass this rule, and conservatives knew it. In the final moments of the vote on the House floor, they negotiated a deal to vote “yes” on the rule. In exchange, Johnson promised the House Judiciary Committee an opportunity to mark up a border immigration bill to codify Trump’s border policy.

A source familiar with the markup told the Daily Signal that there are already talks of including language to ban sanctuary cities and birthright citizenship.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., was the only Republican to vote against to the rule. However, Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California, voted for the rule.

The Rare Rule: MIRV

The procedural mechanism is called a Multiple-Impact Reentry Vehicle, known as a MIRV. Johnson infamously used a MIRV in 2024 to pass a foreign aid supplemental spending bill for Ukraine aid. On Tuesday, it was used to ensure that the SAVE America Act, which would require voter ID to vote, and proof of citizenship to register to vote, can now be attached to four approved bills.

The four bills will each receive separate votes. The items that pass will then be combined into a package and sent to the Senate.

The bills under consideration are the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which would make daylight saving time permanent; the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2027; the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act; and the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act, which would ban credit card companies from tracking firearm purchases.

Any aspect of the SAVE America Act can now be more easily attached to any of these pieces of legislation.

Codifying Trump’s Border Policy

House Freedom Caucus members, among the most conservative members on Capitol Hill, knew they had leverage in this vote and came prepared to make a deal. Johnson agreed, and they were promised the chance to markup H.R. 2 in exchange for voting “yes” on the MIRV rule.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has been a key player in pushing border security legislation. Since Roy also serves on the House Judiciary Committee—the committee Johnson assigned to take up the bill—he will have a hand in what is included.

Other House Freedom Caucus members serving on committee include Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Barry Moore of Alabama, Mark Harris of North Carolina, and Brandon Gill of Texas.