By The House moved forward Wednesday with a Senate-backed measure despite simmering tensions within the Republican conference over the fate of the SAVE America Act, the election-integrity proposal strongly championed by President Donald Trump.
By a vote of 384–40, lawmakers approved the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act (S. 723), legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) designed to speed mortgage approvals on tribal trust lands. The bill requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process residential and business mortgage applications within defined deadlines, easing financing barriers that have long complicated development on tribal land.
The measure passed under suspension of the rules—a procedure typically reserved for broadly supported legislation—drawing backing from 176 Republicans and a large bloc of Democrats. Its easy passage, however, came against the backdrop of an increasingly visible dispute among House conservatives over whether the chamber should advance Senate priorities while the SAVE America Act remains stalled across the Capitol.
That bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, including for mail registration, mandate photo identification in federal elections, and direct states to verify citizenship status while removing non-citizens from voter rolls.
Some conservatives have argued the House should refuse to move Senate legislation until the upper chamber takes action on the measure. The House Freedom Caucus sharpened that argument Wednesday in a post on Twitter: “Last week, President Trump said we must pass the Save America Act before Congress does anything else. The House did our job but the Senate is dragging its feet. So why did the House just pass Leader John Thune’s tribal housing bill today? The House should refuse all further Senate priorities until they bring the SAVE America Act to the floor and force Democrats into a real, talking filibuster.”
Last week, President Trump said we must pass the #SaveAmericaAct before Congress does anything else. The House did our job but the Senate is dragging its feet.
So why did the House just pass @LeaderJohnThune’s tribal housing bill today?
The House should refuse all further…
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) March 4, 2026
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a prominent Freedom Caucus member, voiced similar frustration, noted The Daily Caller. “Why are the Senate and House focused on tribal land ownership instead of securing America’s elections? The House should halt consideration of Majority Leader Thune’s niche priorities until the SAVE America Act is passed and delivered to President Trump’s desk. The American people are rightly demanding action to protect our elections.”
Other conservatives warned the legislation risks losing momentum if it continues to languish in the Senate. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) said momentum for the SAVE America Act “is currently dying a slow death in the Senate,” adding, “Until the Save America Act is passed, the Senate should not expect its legislation to find an easy pathway in the House. Every day this legislation is delayed is another day that the integrity of American elections is put at stake.”
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) questioned the Senate’s priorities even more bluntly: “When did the Senate’s priorities go out the window? When did they stop doing their job? When did they stop caring about America and the future of its elections? Nothing else should come before this.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) also criticized Senate leadership, accusing it of advancing lower-priority legislation while ignoring what he called the country’s central concerns. “Senate leadership keeps sending irrelevant bills to the House while refusing to address the priorities President Trump and the American people are demanding. We just watched Secretary Kristi Noem shut down Senator Adam Schiff for suggesting illegal aliens would be showing up at polling places, yet the Senate still hasn’t even brought the SAVE America Act to the floor.”
Despite the internal friction, Senate Republicans—including Thune—have publicly backed the election bill, though it has yet to receive a vote on the Senate floor.
The White House reiterated its support for the measure on Wednesday. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “Trump is very much continuing to focus on the issues that matter here at home for the American people, including the passage of the SAVE Act.”
"[Trump] is very much continuing to focus on the issues that matter here at home for the American people, including the passage of the SAVE Act," @PressSec tells me about the president managing the Iran-U.S. conflict + domestic issues.
On the SAVE Act, Leavitt says it is still… pic.twitter.com/zmC3nNEQzJ
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) March 4, 2026
Several House Republicans are now pressing Speaker Mike Johnson to intensify pressure on Senate leadership. According to reports circulating on Capitol Hill, lawmakers such as Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) and Brandon Gill (R-Texas) have warned that continued delays could dampen Republican voter enthusiasm heading into the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act—having cleared both chambers—now heads to President Trump’s desk for signature.
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