House Republicans advanced a plan Monday evening aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown while adding election security measures, though its future remains uncertain ahead of a full chamber vote later this week.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is pushing legislation that ties a six-month extension of fiscal year 2024 funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to a GOP proposal requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. The House Rules Committee approved the plan in a 9-4 vote on Monday, sending it to the House floor.
A procedural vote is expected Tuesday, with final passage set for Wednesday. However, at least five House Republicans have publicly opposed the measure, complicating its chances of passing. Johnson, who only has a four-vote majority, may need support from Democrats to move the bill forward.
Both parties agree that a CR is necessary to give lawmakers more time to negotiate the fiscal year 2025 budget and avoid a government shutdown just weeks before Election Day. So far, the House has passed four of the 12 GOP-led appropriations bills, while the Senate, controlled by Democrats, has yet to pass any.
Republicans are using the funding deadline as leverage to push the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and backed by President Trump. The bill mandates proof of citizenship in the voter registration process, a provision Democrats have labeled as extreme. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized the bill as “partisan” in a letter to Democrats, while the White House has threatened a veto.
Congressional leaders have until Sept. 30 to reach a deal and prevent a shutdown, which would pause nonessential government services and furlough federal employees.
Johnson faces a narrow path in his own party, but could gain support from Democrats who previously voted in favor of the SAVE Act. If the CR passes, the government funding debate could extend into March, bringing the issue into the next presidential administration.
UPDATE: Speaker Johnson announced on Wednesday that he is withdrawing a short-term GOP government funding bill from the House floor, citing opposition from his party’s right wing.
“There will be no vote today,” Johnson told reporters, just hours before the scheduled vote. Johnson added, “We are having thoughtful, family conversations within the Republican Conference, and I believe we will get there.”
