House Republican leaders abruptly canceled scheduled votes this week following internal party discord that disrupted legislative proceedings. The turmoil derailed momentum on two high-priority GOP bills: the No Rogue Rulings Act, which seeks to curtail the authority of federal judges, and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The disruption began when a procedural vote—necessary to move the legislation forward—failed after nine Republican lawmakers broke ranks and sided with Democrats. This rare internal rebellion within the GOP stalled the House’s legislative agenda and raised serious questions about party unity and the effectiveness of its leadership.
As a result, the House has yet to take up either the No Rogue Rulings Act or the SAVE Act. Both bills are seen as crucial elements of the Republican policy platform heading into the next election cycle. Their delay underscores the fragility of the GOP's majority in the House and has cast doubt on how the leadership plans to navigate future legislative hurdles.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has faced mounting pressure from various factions within his party, criticized the outcome of the vote and the Republicans who sided with Democrats. “It’s a very disappointing result on the floor,” Johnson said. “A handful of Republicans joined with all Democrats to take down a rule.” He added that the vote’s failure means the House will not be able to move forward with any legislative business for the rest of the week.
“Let me just make this clear,” Johnson emphasized. “That rule being brought down means we can’t have any further action on the floor this week. That means we will not be voting on the SAVE Act for election integrity. We will not be voting on the rogue judges who are attacking President Trump’s agenda. We will not be taking down these terrible Biden policies with the CRA votes. All that was just wiped off the table. It’s very unfortunate. We’ll regroup and come back, and we’ll have to do this again.”
Compounding the GOP’s internal friction, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) added to the tension by bypassing party leadership through a rarely used discharge petition. Her petition seeks to force a vote on her proposal to allow remote voting for new parents—an effort that has bipartisan support but had not received a scheduled vote.
Luna expressed skepticism about leadership’s ability to block her initiative and described her interaction with Speaker Johnson, recalling that he said, “I know your heart’s in the right place.” Luna reportedly responded, “I hope you have good things to say about this.”
The leadership's next steps remain unclear, particularly regarding how they plan to reintroduce the blocked legislation and manage ongoing divisions within the Republican conference. The episode highlights the challenges Johnson faces in uniting his party and advancing a cohesive legislative agenda in a narrowly divided House.
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