House Republicans drop Trump's SAVE Act voter restriction bill from government funding bill

House Republicans released a much-anticipated continuing resolution (C.R.) on Friday—and notably omitted Donald Trump's primary legislative demand.

Despite Trump explicitly instructing his congressional allies to include his unpopular voter restriction bill in the government funding mechanism during a late-night address to the nation the previous evening, the Republicans' 15-page C.R. makes no mention of the SAVE America Act.

"Congress must pass the SAVE America Act. How easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat," Trump said Thursday night. "The only reason you wouldn't do it is you want to cheat, because your policies are so bad and your candidates are so pathetic that you can't get away or can't get elected any other way."

Instead, Republicans offered a clean funding package. If passed, it would fund the federal government through December 4.

Background on the SAVE America Act

The president has conditioned his support for any legislative effort on the SAVE Act's passage. Since the beginning of the year, Trump has insisted it should be Congress's top priority, refusing to sign any bill and derailing Cabinet confirmations until Capitol Hill complies. That stalemate has:

• Gummed up efforts to fund the Department of Homeland Security
• Stalled attempts to pass the National Defense Authorization Act
• Upended a planned photo op of Trump signing a landmark housing bill

The original iteration of the SAVE America Act sparked nationwide backlash for proposing numerous amendments to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, including:

• A requirement that voters bring either a passport or birth certificate to register to vote
• A mandate that voters present photo identification when casting a ballot
• A total ban on mail-in voting

Critics argued the mandate would unduly restrict millions of Americans from voting, noting that half of the country's population lacks a passport. The legislation as written would also make it difficult for anyone who changed their name—including married women—to register.

Trump has described mail-in voting as "crooked" and "corrupt," despite having cast several mail-in ballots himself.

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Diesel Spill on National Mall Under Freedom 250

The government spent nearly $2 million in a no-bid emergency contract to clean up a diesel spill that occurred under the oversight of Freedom 250, the shadowy organization through which President Donald Trump is administering semiquincentennial celebrations.

Incident Details

In May, Freedom 250 and a Trump-tied event management company, Event Strategies Inc., installed temporary lighting while setting up the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. On May 20, fuel lines on the lighting equipment spilled at least 30 gallons of fuel onto the Mall. The fuel seeped underground, contaminating rainwater repositories used to irrigate the area. Another spill of an unknown quantity occurred shortly after.

Contract and Cleanup

The government awarded a "rushed, no-bid contract" of $1.8 million for the cleanup, reported Anna Kramer of NOTUS on Friday. It took two months for the contract—awarded to Maryland-based Custom Lawn Service Inc.—to be posted publicly. Officials told Kramer the delay was due to the "emergency nature of the situation."

Cause and Response

Government records reported in May by The New York Times suggest the spill was due to negligence, originating "from event-related equipment that lacked required secondary and tertiary containment measures." However, the Trump administration described the incident as the fault of left-wing saboteurs, alleging that vandals slashed the fuel lines.

The government does not ordinarily foot the bill for such cleanup jobs. Permit holders are typically held "liable for the environmental mitigation after a spill of such magnitude," according to NBC.