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House Rejects Temporary Funding Bill 09/19 06:12
The House on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal that would
have linked temporary funding for the federal government with a mandate that
states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's
proposal that would have linked temporary funding for the federal government
with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to
vote.
Next steps on government funding are uncertain. Lawmakers are not close to
completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund federal
agencies during the next fiscal year, so they'll need to approve a stopgap
measure to prevent a partial shutdown when that budget year begins Oct. 1.
The vote was 220-202, with 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats
opposing the bill. Johnson, who said after the vote he was "disappointed," will
likely pursue a Plan B to avoid a partial shutdown, though he was not yet ready
to share details.
"We'll draw up another play and we'll come up with a solution," Johnson
said. "I'm already talking to colleague about their many ideas. We have time to
fix the situation and we'll get right to it."
Johnson had pulled the bill from consideration last week because it lacked
the votes to pass. He worked through the weekend to win support from fellow
Republicans but was unable to overcome objections about spending levels from
some members, while others said they don't favor any continuing resolutions,
insisting that Congress return to passing the dozen annual appropriations bills
on time and one at a time. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the measure.
Requiring new voters to provide proof of citizenship has become a leading
election-year priority for Republicans raising the specter of noncitizens
voting in the U.S., even though it's already illegal to do so and research has
shown that such voting is rare.
Opponents say that such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of
Americans who do not have a birth certificate or passport readily available
when they get a chance to register at their school, church or other venues when
voter registration drives occur.
But Johnson said it is a serious problem because even if a tiny percentage
of noncitizens do vote, it could determine the outcome of an extremely close
race. He noted that Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa won her
seat back in 2020 by six votes.
"It's very, very serious stuff and that's why we're going to do the right
thing," Johnson said before the vote. "We're going to responsibly fund the
government and we're going to stop noncitizens voting in elections."
Meanwhile, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump weighed in again
just hours before the vote. seemingly encouraging House Republicans to let a
partial government shutdown begin at the end of the month unless they get the
proof of citizenship mandate, referred to in the House as the SAVE Act.
"If Republicans don't get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should
not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form," Trump said on
the social media platform Truth Social.
House Democrats said the proof of citizenship mandate should not be part of
a bill to keep the government funded and urged Johnson to work with them on a
measure that can pass both chambers.
"This is not going to become law," said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. "This is
Republican theatrics that are meant to appease the most extreme members of
their conference, to show them that they are working on something and that
they're continuing to support the former president of the United States in his
bid to demonize immigrants."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has predicted Johnson's effort
was doomed to fail.
"The only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he's running into a
dead end," Schumer said. "We must have a bipartisan plan instead."
The legislation would fund agencies generally at current levels through
March 28 while lawmakers work out their differences on a full-year spending
agreement.
Democrats, and some Republicans, are pushing for a shorter extension. A
temporary fix would allow the current Congress to hammer out a final bill after
the election and get it to Democratic President Joe Biden's desk for his
signature.
But Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are
pushing for a six-month extension in the hopes Trump will win and give them
more leverage when crafting the full-year bill.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declined to weigh in on
how long to extend funding. He said Schumer and Johnson, ultimately, will have
to work out a final agreement that can pass both chambers.
"The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It would be
politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election because
certainly we would get the blame," McConnell said.
Regardless of the vote outcome, Republican lawmakers sought to allay any
concerns there would be a shutdown. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said if the bill
failed, then another stopgap bill should be voted on that would allow lawmakers
to come back to Washington after the election and finish the appropriations
work.
"The bottom line is we're not shutting the government down," Lawler said.
But Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of engaging in a
"shutdown effort."
"That's not hyperbole," Jeffries said. "It's history. Because in the DNA of
extreme MAGA Republicans has consistently been an effort to make extreme ransom
demands of the American people, and if those extreme ransom demands are not
met, shut down the government."
The House approved a bill with the proof of citizenship mandate back in
July. Some Republicans who view the issue as popular with their constituents
have been pushing for another chance to show their support.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., noted that his state's secretary of state
announced last month that 3,251 people who had been previously issued
noncitizen identification numbers will have their voter registration status
made inactive and flagged for possible removal from the voter rolls. Voting
rights groups have since filed a lawsuit saying the policy illegally targeted
naturalized citizens for removal from voting rolls.
"These people should never have been allowed to register in the first place
and this is exactly what the SAVE Act will prevent," Aderholt said.
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