WASHINGTON — This morning, at the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, Speaker Johnson discussed the SAVE America Act and the Democrats’ outrageous and false arguments against it. Speaker Johnson also highlighted how the American economy – spurred by Republican policies – continues to defy expectations.
“The question is often asked by pollsters, and the polling consistently shows 80 to 90% of Americans believe that proof of citizenship and proof of valid ID should be required to vote,” Speaker Johnson said. “There are a few issues in American politics that have that level of bipartisan support; this is one of them.”
Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.
On the SAVE America Act:
Now we have the SAVE America Act. It’s identical legislation as the SAVE Act on the proof of citizenship, but as you heard, now, voters would have to display a valid ID to participate in federal elections. Again, a no brainer. So, in other words, it simply requires you are who you say are in order to vote. And if that sounds like a no brainer, it’s because it is. The question is often asked by pollsters, and the polling consistently shows 80 to 90% of Americans believe that proof of citizenship and proof of valid ID should be required to vote. There are a few issues in American politics that have that level of bipartisan support; this is one of them. The issue has so much support because it’s just common sense. Americans need an ID to drive, to open a bank account, to buy cold medicine, to file for government assistance, and as is noted by the Leader, you even need an ID to attend the events of most Democrat politicians and even the Democrat National Convention. So why would voting be any different from that? They can’t answer that question. And so, they come up with all these crazy excuses of why they can’t support.
They’ve attempted so many arguments to oppose the pass of this simple legislation. First, they argued that we were too close to a federal election to make changes to voting procedures. That was last Congress, and of course that was nonsense. Then they argued that noncitizens and unregistered individuals don’t actually vote, and then we proved that they did, so then they changed their argument again. Then they argued that the SAVE Act disenfranchises married women who would have to change their last names. That was actually, you remember, that was a whole line of argument. And now this is their current argument. Now, Democrats are saying, breathlessly, the SAVE Act would result in voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement. It’s nonsense. Do you know what actually disenfranchises voters? When noncitizens participate in our federal elections and counteract the votes of registered American voters. That’s what we have to stop.
On Democrats fearmongering about the SAVE America Act:
Democrats have gone so far as to call this the return of Jim Crow laws. That’s what you heard Chuck Schumer say, and he just has no shame. It’s not the first time Schumer said this. Now just think of the history of it. In 2021, when Georgia state legislators, they did it in the state, they passed the election integrity legislation. Chuck Schumer came out – many national Democrats too – called it Jim Crow 2.0. I mean, he did that thing with his hands and pounded the podium. Okay, well, here’s what really happened. Georgia experienced record turnout in the 2022 election after the reform, particularly among minority groups. And in fact, in a poll commission by the University of Georgia after the election, they went to ask people how they felt about that election and how it was conducted. And they talked to black voters. And the respondents, the poll said, “Did you have a poor experience in the election?” And guess how many black voters in Georgia said after their reforms, they had a poor experience? Zero. Literally no one said that.
Not only were there arguments blatant fear mongering. Chuck Schumer and everybody, they were dead and wrong too. And speaking of Georgia, Leader Scalise noted that John Ossoff, Senator Ossoff, had his big event there. And, you know, he said that the SAVE Act is “A bad faith bill cynically intended to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.” That’s what Senator Ossoff said. But of course, at the event where he said that he required photo ID to attend. Democrats want to verify your identity to attend their campaign rallies, but not to participate in the elections they’re running in. Despite the vehement and incoherent and frankly, ridiculous opposition for Democrats, Republicans will continue to stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who want secure elections. We’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to do the commonsense thing, and we’re going to pass this, and you’ll see that reflected on Wednesday when we do that very thing.
On the success and growth of the American economy:
Gallup published findings from a new poll, and here’s what the headline says: “Americans expect economic growth and stock market gains in 2026.” The American people have good reason to feel this optimism… Since Republicans reclaimed the House, we began last January, to do the work. We promised the American people we would do it; we got it done. We secured key fiscal reforms in the debt ceiling agreement, we kept discretionary spending flat, saving hundreds of billions of dollars to date, we secured a $1.6 trillion cut to mandatory spending through the Working Families Tax Cuts, and so much more. And that’s just in the House. President Trump has been a very busy as well. His trade policy and the tariffs have brought in hundreds of billions in new revenue, more than 2024. And there’s hundreds of billions more on the way. President Trump’s policies have reoriented global trade, resulted in trillions of commitments for foreign direct investment here, a reduction in the trade deficit and all-time highs for US exports. And we’re just getting started.
We have all the necessary ingredients for economic flourishing. The combination of the House Republicans’ efforts to restore fiscal sanity, President Trump’s trade agenda, and the pro-growth, pro-energy policies in the Working Families Tax Cuts have reignited a supply side growth surge that nobody can deny. You’re watching the economic growth numbers that are off the charts. It’s going to be over 5%, I think 5.4% is the estimate for what Q4 would finally yield. And Q1 of this year is expected to continue that surge. We think that’s going to happen all the way through the year. And so do the voters. So do the American people. According to the poll, under Republican leadership, the US economy has consistently grown and far exceeded all the expectations that they told us that would happen. The CBO and others were way off.
The tangible, immediate benefits of our policies are indisputable. Interest rates are down, inflation is down, gas prices are significantly decreased and have hit all-time lows in decades. Tax rebates are at an all-time high, you’ve got tens of millions of American families will be able to keep more of their money in their own pockets, and all of that is by design. We made promises, keeping our promises by every conceivable metric. Americans are better off today under Republican governance than they were under the Democrats. And these trends are only going to continue. Democrats keep talking about affordability, Republicans are delivering it.
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