WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote Wednesday on a six-month stopgap funding bill tied to legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote — the same bill he abruptly pulled from the table last week amid growing GOP opposition.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, spent the weekend calling party members and trying to swing GOP defections to the “yes” column. But given Republicans’ slim 220-211 majority and some members’ adamant opposition to short-term bills known as continuing resolutions (CRs), it’s highly unlikely Johnson can get the bill through the House.
The federal government is set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on October 1 unless Democrats and Republicans can agree on a funding bill. Johnson’s plan calls for a half-year CR tied to the Trump-backed SAVE Act, though the bill is dead in the Democratic-led Senate and faces a veto threat from President Joe Biden.
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections. Because we owe it to our voters, we will vote on the 6-month CR, which will be supplemented by the SAVE Act, on Wednesday,” Johnson said in a statement Tuesday.
“I urge all my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of people in this county demand and rightfully deserve: prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting in U.S. elections,” he said.
At the opening of the House session, Johnson told reporters he would have more conversations with GOP holdouts Tuesday and Wednesday before the vote, but made no promises that the bill would pass.
“We’ll see what happens. I really hope we can get it done,” Johnson said, vowing to stick to his strategy. “I have no further discussions. This is the strategy, it’s an important strategy, and I’m going to work around the clock to get it passed.”
The White House, congressional Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for a shorter-term bill that would keep the government running after the election, through December. That would give bipartisan negotiators more time to reach an agreement on funding for fiscal 2025.
In a speech Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lambasted Johnson and his party for trying to pass a funding measure that has no chance in the upper chamber.
“President Johnson, you know as well as anyone that your plan is doomed to fail as it stands. A six-month referendum with poison pills will not work in a closely divided government,” Schumer said.
“If the far right thinks we’re going to willingly give them leverage to impose Project 2025 on the American people early next year by agreeing to a six-month CR, they’re dreaming,” he added.
