Speaker Johnson sets House vote on government funding bill after a one-week postponement
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson will move forward with a stopgap budget bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, despite the headwinds that prompted him to do so pull the bill from consideration of last week.
The bill includes a requirement that people who register to vote provide proof of citizenship, which has become a major priority in election years for Republicans who raise the specter of non-citizens voting in the U.S., even though it is already illegal to do so and research has shown that such voting rare.
“I call on all my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of people in this country rightly demand and deserve: prevent non-US citizens from voting in US elections,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson told reporters he was not prepared to discuss an alternative plan to keep the government funded, other than what will be discussed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“I don’t have any alternative conversations. That’s the piece. It’s an important piece. And I’m going to work around the clock to get it done,” Johnson said.
The legislation faces an uphill battle in the House and no chance in the Senate. The vast majority of Democrats oppose it, and some Republicans do too, but for different reasons.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the only way to avoid a government shutdown was for both sides to work together on a deal. He said the House vote Johnson announced was doomed to fail.
“All we’re doing here is making it clear that he’s on a dead end,” Schumer said. “We need to have a bipartisan plan instead.”
The legislation would fund the agencies at current levels while lawmakers resolve their differences over a full-year spending deal.
Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for a short extension. A temporary solution would allow the current Congress to hammer out a final bill after the election and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
But Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are pushing for a six-month extension in the hopes that Republican candidate Donald Trump will win the election and give them more leverage in crafting the bill for a full year.
Schumer said a six-month measure would shortchange the Pentagon and other government agencies that need more certainty about funding levels.
“You can’t just run the military with temporary measures for six months,” Schumer said.
Johnson said last week that he was not giving up on his proposal and that he would work through the weekend to drum up support. He said that ensuring that only American citizens can vote in federal elections “is the most urgent issue right now and we are going to get it done.”
On Sunday, he traveled to Florida to meet with Trump, who previously appeared to encourage a government shutdown if Republicans “cannot get assurances about the security of the election.” Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social that they should not proceed with an emergency bill without such assurances.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring proof of citizenship back in julySome Republicans who see the issue as popular with their constituents have pushed for another chance to show their support for the measure. Still, other Republicans are expected to vote no because they see the bill’s spending as excessive.