President Donald Trump on Monday thanked Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other key House Republicans for including "MUCH of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT" in a $95 billion budget package, calling on party members to unite behind the measure as the latest effort to tighten election security and advance key GOP priorities.
In a pair of Truth Social posts, Trump argued that election integrity remains essential to public confidence in American democracy and pointed supporters to White House material detailing concerns raised after the 2020 presidential election and subsequent reviews of voting systems and voter registration practices.
Trump later praised Johnson, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Budget Committee Republicans for launching an effort to include "AS MUCH of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible" in the reconciliation package alongside funding for farmers and the military.
"We need Voter Photo ID (Identification!), Proof of Citizenship and, hopefully, No Corrupt Mail In Ballots (except for illness, disability, Military, or travel)," Trump wrote, urging House Republicans to "VOTE YES" on the budget resolution and "fight for THE SAVE AMERICA ACT."
Trump's posts came four days after a primetime national address in which he urged Congress to quickly pass the SAVE America Act, arguing newly declassified intelligence on alleged foreign election interference and voting system vulnerabilities demonstrates the need for sweeping election security reforms.
The House Budget Committee last week approved the roughly $95 billion framework on a party-line vote, advancing legislation that would provide $60 billion for defense, $13 billion for intelligence programs, $12 billion in farm assistance, and $10 billion for election administration and voter ID implementation.
Arrington said Republicans are using the reconciliation process to overcome Democrat opposition while they control both Congress and the White House.
He has also argued that the election provisions would help states implement the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification when casting ballots.
According to The Hill, House GOP leaders crafted the proposal to maximize the chances that key election integrity provisions could survive Senate budget rules by pairing them with federal implementation funding.
Conservative lawmakers, however, have continued pushing to include as much of the full SAVE America Act as possible rather than relying solely on grant incentives.
Johnson is pressing ahead despite resistance from some fiscal conservatives who worry about additional federal spending and skepticism from Senate Republicans over the proposal's prospects.
Democrats uniformly opposed the package, arguing it fails to address affordability while increasing spending tied to defense and other Republican priorities.
GOP leaders counter that the legislation strengthens national security, supports struggling farmers, and protects the integrity of U.S. elections.
The House is expected to take up the budget resolution this week as Republicans seek to move the reconciliation process forward before committees draft final legislative text later this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.