Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump
Politico reports President Donald Trump ordered House Republicans Monday to pass his huge partisan elections bill a third time with even more provisions, targeting mail-in voters and vulnerable minorities.
“It will guarantee the midterms,” Trump told lawmakers, according to Politico. “If you don’t get it, big trouble, my opinion.”
Provisions that Trump wants added include targeting transgender rights in addition to curbing mail voting, even though Trump himself has voted by mail. And Trump warned the GOP to pursue passage of the law even it means abandoning the rest of their legislative agenda before the November elections.
“It’s actually a matter in a serious way of national survival. We can’t have these elections going on like this anymore,” Trump said.
Trump also endorsed a push by House Republican hard-liners to attach a must-pass spy powers extension to the SAVE America legislation in a bid to pass both together. But there is a reason Trump is asking the House to pass the bill a third time: Politico reports this would create “a nightmare for House GOP leaders who already face obstacles passing either bill.
The House has already two passed versions of what is now called the “SAVE America Act,” which would create onerous new citizenship and photo ID requirements for voting. Still, Politico reports Trump is framing the voting and transgender provisions as “proven political winners” that Democrats will not easily be able to oppose.
“That should be the easiest thing to get passed that you’ve ever had,” Trump told the Republicans. “Those are best of Trump. This is the No. 1 priority, it should be, for the House.”
But Democrats have opposed the bill in unison every time Republicans tried to get it to the president’s desk, and even Republican leaders have been loath to change Senate rules to make the bill easier to pass.
Reprinted with permisson from Alternet
- Trump Reveals Fear Of Midterm Defeat: 'We Shouldn't Even Have An Election' ›
- SAVE Act Swindle: Susan Collins Raising Money Off Election Fraud Lies ›
- Trump news at a glance: president issues an ultimatum to Congress to get voter ID bill passed | Trump administration | The Guardian ›
- Trump demands SAVE Act vote as Thune says path forward 'still unclear' | Fox News ›
- Trump again presses Congress on voter bill, says he will not sign other legislation | Reuters ›
- Trump threatens not to sign any bills until Congress approves strict voter ID act | Donald Trump | The Guardian ›
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