U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson [Reuters=Yonhap News]

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican, Louisiana) announced on the 28th (local time) that he would revive efforts to pass a bill strengthening voter identification requirements—a key issue in U.S. politics—by leveraging a mechanism that allows it to pass the Senate with only a simple majority.

Appearing on Fox News, Speaker Johnson, a Republican, stated that he intends to include the bill, known as the "SAVE Act," in a "reconciliation bill" this time, and announced plans to convene the House on the 29th to introduce the legislation.

The core of the SAVE Act includes mandating proof of citizenship and voter ID for voting, and banning mail-in voting except in cases of military service, illness, disability, or travel. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to pass the bill, viewing it as a "winning card" for the upcoming November midterm elections.

Speaker Johnson, a staunch ally of President Trump, has successfully pushed the bill through the Republican-controlled House three times; however, it has yet to clear the Senate. To override a filibuster (an obstructionist tactic to delay or block a vote), 60 out of 100 Senate seats are required, and the Republican majority (currently 53 seats) is insufficient to meet that threshold.

The reconciliation process mentioned by Speaker Johnson is a procedure that allows budget-related bills to bypass the minority party's filibuster and pass with a simple majority. President Trump has even called for the dismissal of the Senate parliamentarian, who previously ruled that the current version of the SAVE Act does not qualify for this process.

Speaker Johnson stated, "We will send to the Senate provisions that can pass the 'Byrd Rule' test (a standard determining whether a bill qualifies for reconciliation)." It is presumed that he intends to draft an amendment to the SAVE Act that incorporates budget-saving measures.

He emphasized that the "21st Century Housing Supply Expansion Act," which President Trump had threatened to veto in connection with the SAVE Act, as well as the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the next fiscal year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), must be implemented as soon as possible.

Even if the House passes the SAVE Act in an amended form, it remains uncertain whether the Senate will accept it, given concerns regarding procedural legitimacy and congressional customs. The Senate is currently in recess until the 13th of next month.

Speaker Johnson recently remarked, "I met with the Senate Republican Leader and asked him to do everything within his power to push the bill forward."