WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Wednesday is poised to pass a funding bill to avert a government shutdown next week after scrapping a proposal pushed by Donald Trump that would have required Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.
House Republican leaders, facing defections in their ranks, plan to rely heavily on Democratic votes to approve the measure. If it passes, it will go to the Senate, which hopes to quickly approve it Wednesday night, well ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline. Both chambers are set to adjourn this week for a long break after the Nov. 5 election.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and the package negotiated by top Democrats would fund the government at current levels until Dec. 20, just before the holidays. It would also allocate an additional $231 million to the Secret Service, including for operations related to the presidential election campaign. the awakening of two avisible attempts for ato commit a conspiracy Trump.
Trump has publicly insisted that Republicans in Congress must shut down the government if they fail to pass proof-of-citizenship legislation known as the SAVE Act, even though it already exists. it is rare for illegals and non-citizens to vote in federal elections.
But after the House rejected the package last week, combining government funding and the SAVE Act, Johnson scrapped Trump-backed election legislation and introduced a new, largely clean spending bill. Johnson and other mainstream Republicans who championed the move argued GOP-led shutdown Just 35 days before election day, it will amount to a “political blunder”.
Johnson denied that he “rejected Trump” on the voting legislation, saying they had been in close contact throughout the funding fight and that they both believed the SAVE Act was essential to ensuring election integrity.
“I am not against President Trump. I spoke to him at length and he was very upset about the situation. His concern is election security, and that is mine. It’s all of us,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
He blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for not passing the SAVE Act as a single measure in the Senate. “We passed the SAVE Act over the summer and it was sitting on Chuck Schumer’s desk gathering dust; it’s infuriating to us,” Johnson said. “President Trump understands the dilemma we’re in, and that’s why there’s no daylight between us.”
If it becomes law, the shutdown bill will set up another shutdown battle in the post-election lame-duck session, but in favor of both parties who know the balance of power next year.
“I think the vast majority of Congress does not want a shutdown,” said Sen. John Buzman, R-Ark. “So let’s go through the election and decide what we want to do.”
A short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, requires two-thirds support to pass because it comes up under an expedited process known as a “rule suspension.” This is necessary because conservatives on the Johnson-aligned Rules Committee have refused to help the package move through the committee.
“It’s like kicking a pot down the road,” lamented Rep. Dan Bishop, R.N., of the far-right Freedom Caucus, who plans to vote no.
Instead of blaming Johnson, former Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., pointed the finger at Senate Democrats, who failed to pass any of the 12 years of government funding legislation for the new fiscal year.
“You always blame us for all these things, but the Senate has put zero appropriations bills on the floor. Zero,” Perry said. “You were supposed to have a dance partner and our partner refuses to show up.”
Schumer said he was pleased to learn that House “partisan violence tactics” are not working on the funding measures — even though they are a waste of time.
“As both parties work to prevent a shutdown, we encourage House Republican leadership to debate and quickly pass this bill. Time is of the essence,” he said. “After the House acts, the Senate will move quickly to pass CR. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to prioritize CR’s speedy passage. we can run.”