The House Rules Committee gave the green light on Monday to a combined package that merges the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The procedural vote, which passed 8-4 along party lines, sends the combined legislation to the House floor for further debate.

The move uses a special legislative tactic known as MIRVing — named after a missile that carries multiple warheads — to attach the voter ID bill to the must-pass defense authorization. But not everyone thinks this strategy will work.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the senior Democrat on the Rules Committee, proposed an amendment to strip the merger language, but Republicans voted it down. McGovern warned during the hearing: "Let me be clear. The Senate will just strip the Save Act out. They’ve already said that merging it with the NDAA bill doesn’t prevent that. Nothing in this rule will prevent that."

Even Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican who supports the SAVE Act, expressed skepticism. In a blunt post on X, she wrote: "MIRV ref NDAA won’t work." Luna argued that the Senate could simply remove the voter ID provisions from the NDAA, rendering the procedural maneuver pointless.

The rule up for a vote also includes funding for national security and the State Department, along with a resolution marking the first anniversary of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Trump Downplays Housing Bill

Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pledged to advance the SAVE America Act through a third budget reconciliation bill. That promise came after President Donald Trump canceled a signing ceremony for a comprehensive bipartisan housing package, insisting instead that the Senate pass the voter ID bill.

Johnson also promised to send the delayed bipartisan housing affordability bill — the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — to Trump on Monday. The legislation aims to increase housing supply, reduce development bottlenecks, and improve affordability, while also limiting the influence of large investors in the single-family housing market. But Trump was unimpressed, calling the bill "a yawn" and saying he wasn't sure whether he'd sign it. (The bill can become law automatically after 10 days without presidential action.)

The Fate of the SAVE Act

Several conservative Republicans have vowed to oppose procedural rules on key legislation unless the SAVE America Act moves forward. Speaker Johnson proposed including the measure to win over holdouts, but some lawmakers remain skeptical, raising doubts about whether he can secure the near-unanimous GOP support needed to pass the rule.

Trump himself acknowledged that the SAVE America Act is unlikely to pass because several Republican senators are not expected to support it. So even if the House manages to jam the voter ID bill into the NDAA, the Senate could easily strip it out — leaving the whole MIRV strategy as little more than a procedural fireworks display.