House Republicans scored a significant legislative victory for election integrity on Wednesday after approving the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the SAVE America Act language included, sending the combined package to the U.S. Senate following a 217-209 vote. The move represents another major step in President Donald Trump’s campaign to strengthen federal election safeguards by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The vote came after weeks of mounting pressure from conservative lawmakers and grassroots organizations urging House Republican leadership to ensure the SAVE America Act would not remain stalled. Instead of allowing the measure to face an uncertain future as a standalone bill, supporters successfully pushed to attach it to the annual NDAA, one of Congress’s most important pieces of must-pass legislation.
Republicans argued that linking election integrity reforms to the nation’s annual defense authorization bill would make it far more difficult for Senate leadership to sideline the issue. Conservative lawmakers have repeatedly maintained that securing federal elections is a matter of national security, making the NDAA an appropriate legislative vehicle for advancing the proposal.
