Failed CR, SAVE Act vote represents another loss for Speaker Johnson's leadership

The failed House vote for a continuing resolution attached to the SAVE Act is another example of failure in Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership. 

The House voted 202-220 to kill the continuing resolution that had the SAVE Act attached to it. A total of 14 Republicans voted against the resolution along with 206 Democrats, while three Democrats voted across the aisle in support of the bill. Two Republicans voted present.

The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote in elections. The House passed the SAVE Act in July with five Democrats voting in support of it. 

Former President Donald Trump was pushing for the SAVE Act to be passed Wednesday, arguing that if it wasn't, Republicans should not agree to a continuing resolution. 

"If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form," Trump wrote on Truth Social prior to the vote. "Democrats are registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS, as we speak - They will be voting in the 2024 Presidential Election, and they shouldn’t be allowed to."

Discretionary funding for the fiscal year 2024 will expire on Sep. 30 and so far the House has not enacted any of the 12 full-year appropriations bills to fund the government for the next year.

Multiple Republicans voted against the continuing resolution along with the SAVE Act because they argued that it didn't properly fund the government. 

"It's unserious because we're cramming all government spending into one bill and instead of deciding what to spend it on. We're saying, 'let's just spend at least as much as we spent last year and not worry about any of these bills through committee or debating how much we should spend on those things,'" Rep. Thomas Massie said prior to the vote.

Johnson had to punt the SAVE Act and continuing resolution vote last week because there were not enough votes for it. He argued Republicans needed to "build consensus."

Currently, one major disagreement going on in the GOP-led House is funding the government and continuing resolutions, with moderate Republicans being willing to pass more while members of the Freedom Caucus refuse to cooperate. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted last year by eight House Republicans who cited budget negotiations as the reason for removing him.

With Johnson, some Republicans in the Freedom Caucus are having the same issues with him that they had with McCarthy. 

Johnson used to be a member of the Freedom Caucus and seems to be unable to read the caucus he was once a part of, as many have refused to support the continuing resolutions. 

"I've been very vocal for quite some time that I wouldn't support a CR, but they found out that there was a lot more people that wouldn't support that CR as well," Rep. Matt Rosendale said on an episode of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show, referencing Johnson and other Republicans. "Again, we are mandated to use the appropriations process."

In April, Johnson received backlash from some Republicans for giving in to more foreign aid to Ukraine, angering some House GOP members. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., blasted Johnson for departing from the GOP's principles regarding funding for Ukraine and even suggested he was blackmailed into doing it. 

“Mike Johnson has made a complete departure of who he is and what he stands for. And to the point where people are literally asking — is he being blackmailed? What is wrong with him? Because he’s completely disconnected with what we want,” Greene said on Tucker Carlson's show, according to The Hill.

Greene attempted to oust Johnson as speaker in April due to him supporting a $1.2 trillion "minibus" spending package. She had the support of Massie and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

However, top Democratic leaders said they would rescue Johnson if he were ousted.