Overview
- A procedural rules vote to 'MIRV'—a merge that would transmit the House-passed SAVE America Act together with the Fiscal 2027 NDAA to the Senate—failed on June 30 when the House rejected the rule 198–224.
- Fourteen Republicans, led by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Chip Roy, crossed party lines to oppose the rule because they said the MIRV tactic would let the Senate strip SAVE language and would not guarantee passage.
- Speaker Mike Johnson proposed MIRVing to force the Senate to take up the Trump-backed voting bill without another House vote but dissenters demanded the SAVE language be placed directly in the NDAA text or offered as an amendment made an order.
- The failed vote prompted leadership to send members home early for the July 4 recess and shelved the NDAA, State Department funding and other must-pass items, creating immediate risks for Pentagon policy and spending timetables.
- Senate leaders say the SAVE Act lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, so House options now include reconsideration, a new amendment strategy, or pursuing parts of the plan through reconciliation or grants with uncertain prospects and political fallout for GOP unity.