WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson, bucking the demands of the more conservative wing of his Republican conference, has scheduled a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for another six months and require states to provide evidence. when registering citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport.
Congress must pass the stop-gap bill before the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 to avoid shutting down the government just weeks before voters go to the polls to choose the next president.
Johnson’s decision to combine citizenship with government funding complicates the chances of accomplishing this task. The bill is not expected to go anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, if it even gets that far.
But the effort could help Johnson, R-La., next year if House Republicans retain their majority and he seeks another run for speaker. The vote could also give Republicans a reason to go after Democrats in contested swing districts as Republicans make immigration a cornerstone of the campaign.
“Today, House Republicans are taking a very important step to keep the federal government funded and secure our federal election process,” Johnson said Friday. “Congress has a duty to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.”
Democrats overwhelmingly oppose the GOP’s efforts, warning that both political parties must contribute to any lasting solution. They said Johnson made the same mistake then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, D-Calif., made a year ago when he tried to appease conservatives. Ultimately, they rebuffed his efforts, forcing him to rely on Democrats to pass a temporary spending bill. This fight led just days later to eight Republicans joining with Democrats to remove McCarthy from the Speaker’s job.
“As we have repeatedly stated, avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drafted by one party. Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake former Speaker McCarthy made a year ago by wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right, Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington state said in a statement, referring to Donald Trump’s speech. The “Make America Great Again” movement. “This tactic didn’t work last September, and it won’t work this year either.”
They said that if Johnson “drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the likelihood of a shutdown will greatly increase, and the American people will know that the responsibility for the shutdown rests with House Republicans.”
Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader. Murray chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The voter registration measure is popular among House Republicans. The House Freedom Caucus, which usually includes some of the chamber’s most conservative members, called for it to be attached to a stop-gap bill that would keep the government funded until early 2025.
Republicans say requiring proof of citizenship would ensure that U.S. elections are only for U.S. citizens, boosting confidence in the country’s federal election system, which Trump has sought to undermine for years.
Opponents say it’s already against the law for citizens to not vote in federal elections, and that the document requirements would disenfranchise millions of people who don’t have the necessary documents readily available when they get a chance to register at, say, a concert, county fair or college voter registration event.
In an earlier vote on the voter registration bill, Republicans unanimously supported it, while five Democrats voted against it. President Joe Biden’s administration vehemently opposed the measure, saying the bill’s purported rationale is easy to debunk.
Some Republicans argue that if Schumer allows the vote, assuming the bill passes the House, he would face a government shutdown.
“If Chuck Schumer decides he doesn’t want to bring it in, then Chuck Schumer decides he wants to shut down the government. That’s not us,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., in an interview with Fox Business News.
Trump and other Republicans have raised complaints about noncitizens voting across the U.S.-Mexico border under the Biden administration. They claim the Democrats let them in to add them to the voter rolls. But the available evidence shows that non-citizens voting in federal elections is incredibly rare.
Another important question as part of the short-term spending bill is how long the funding will be extended. Before the August recess, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said he prefers that the next president can accomplish top priorities without the distraction of a messy spending battle.
But the House Freedom Caucus is confident Trump will win the White House and give the GOP a better chance of securing the spending cuts and policy priorities it wants. So they want to continue funding after the January opening.
Congress returns to Washington on Monday after spending the last five weeks in their home states and districts. The short-term bill is necessary because the House and Senate are far from finalizing a dozen annual bills that will keep government agencies and programs operating through the coming budget year.
So far, the House has passed five of the 12 annual cuts, while the Senate has passed none, although the Senate has taken a more bipartisan approach to the challenge by moving 11 bills through the Senate Appropriations Committee with broad support. from lawmakers of both parties. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House of Representatives are using their majority to push bills through, while the majority of Democrats are in opposition.
