Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to push ahead on Tuesday with a controversial stopgap spending bill that could avert a government shutdown looming as soon as Sept. 30.
The Republican plan includes an unrelated proposal to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, a measure that Democrats say makes it a non-starter for the Senate and White House.
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections.” Johnson tweeted Tuesday.
Johnson scrapped plans for a vote on the plan last week, saying he needed more time to wrangle support from myriad factions in the Republican caucus, which holds only a narrow majority.
It’s unusual for congressional leaders to bring votes to the floor without being confident of winning passage, suggesting Johnson believes he has twisted enough arms to pass the bill.
Democrats are expected to vote in lockstep against the measure although a few moderates back the voting measure and might break ranks.
“A bipartisan path forward is the only way to avoid a government shutdown that will hurt everyday Americans,” said Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat.
If the bill passes, it would be dead on arrival in the Democratic-held Senate. But the two sides might then move onto more substantive talks to avoid a shutdown.
If it fails, Johnson might open talks with Jeffries for a bipartisan bill that would be passed with overwhelming Democratic support and some establishment GOP backing. Both Johnson and his predecessor Rep. Kevin McCarthy have previously taken this route, which enraged right-wing Republican lawmakers.
Congress must pass a spending bill by Sept. 30 or parts of the government will shut down, just five-plus weeks before Election Day.
Democrats are insisting on a so-called clean spending bill, meaning one that doesn’t include the voting measure aimed at promoting the GOP’s anti-immigrant agenda.
They also want a stopgap spending bill that would only extend to December, but it’s not clear if the longer time frame of the Republican plan is a deal-breaker for them.
