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Jimmy Williams
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that the House will vote on a six-month stopgap funding bill on Wednesday, tied to a controversial voter ID law. The continuing resolution (CR) is linked to the SAVE Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Johnson’s plan faces resistance from Democrats and some Republicans, making its passage uncertain.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, spent the weekend rallying GOP members to support the proposal after pulling it from the floor last week due to growing opposition. With the GOP holding a narrow 220-211 majority and several members opposing short-term funding measures, Johnson faces an uphill battle to pass the legislation.
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said in a statement. “We will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the six-month CR with the SAVE Act attached.”
The White House, Senate Democrats, and some Republicans are pushing for a shorter-term CR that would extend government funding into December, giving lawmakers more time to reach a long-term funding deal for FY 2025. If Congress fails to pass a funding bill, the federal government will shut down at midnight on October 1.
Johnson’s six-month CR follows fiscal year 2024 funding levels, but its inclusion of the Donald Trump-backed SAVE Act has drawn strong opposition from Democrats, who argue it would unnecessarily restrict voting rights. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised the CR’s fiscal approach but called the SAVE Act a “dead-end strategy,” warning that the bill would not pass the Democratic-led Senate.
“At this point in the process, the only way we can prevent a harmful government shutdown is by both sides working together to reach a bipartisan agreement,” Schumer said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also expressed concerns about the potential political fallout of a government shutdown, particularly with the 2024 election looming.
“The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown,” McConnell said. “It would be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election because, certainly, we’d get the blame.”
Despite the opposition, Johnson remains committed to pushing the bill through, stating that he plans no alternative strategy at this time. “I’m going to work around the clock to get it passed,” Johnson said on Tuesday.
