House Republicans unveiled a bill Friday that would avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and fund the government through March 28, when a new president and Congress could decide on spending and agency priorities for fiscal 2025.
However, Republicans have added a controversial element immigration The Senate rejected the idea of including citizenship in the short-term spending bill, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when people register to vote. Including the citizenship requirement is doomed to fail in the Senate, complicating the spending bill’s prospects for passage.
At least one Republican, conservative Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, has indicated he opposes the measure. And the bill is not supported by House Democrats, who favor a short-term bill.
The Rules Committee plans to take up the temporary funding bill — known as a continuing resolution — on Monday, which could lead to a vote in the full House next week.
Lawmakers return to Washington next week after their August recess. A stopgap spending measure will be needed to keep the government running past the end of September because they are nowhere near completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that fund agencies in the next fiscal year.
“Today, House Republicans are taking critical action to fund the federal government and secure our federal election process,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide America’s elections.”
But in a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray said avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill crafted by one party alone.
“If President Johnson pushes House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the risks of a shutdown will increase dramatically, and Americans will know that the responsibility for a shutdown will rest in the hands of House Republicans,” Schumer and Murray said.
Johnson’s decision to add the citizenship requirement to the spending measure comes after the House Freedom Caucus called for it in a position statement last month. The conservative group, which is banking on a Republican victory, Donald Trumpalso asked that the measure fund the government through early next year so Republicans can enshrine more of their priorities in legislation.
Some GOP leaders wanted to pass the final spending bills before the end of this Congress so that the new president, whether Trump or the Democratic nominee, could vote. Kamala Harriscould focus more on staffing and pursuing their own priorities rather than settling disagreements over spending.
The bill would fund agencies at current levels through March 28, though there is also money to help cover additional security costs associated with Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.
contributed to this report.
