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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Tuesday to press ahead with requiring proof of citizenship for new voters as part of a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown in three weeks, though the measure appeared likely to be voted down.
Democrats overwhelmingly oppose the measure. Enough Republicans were also coming out against the bill, though for different reasons, that its prospects of passing the House appeared dim. Even if it does pass the House on Wednesday, the bill would go nowhere in the Senate.
Johnson said the issue of election security is too critical to ignore, though research has shown that voting by non-citizens is extremely rare. It's also clear that Republicans see value in making House Democrats take another vote on the issue. The House approved a bill with the proof of citizenship mandate back in July
“If you have a few thousand illegals participate in the election in the wrong place, you can change the makeup of Congress and you can affect the presidential election,” Johnson said. “The American people understand that."
The first test for the stopgap spending bill came Tuesday with a 209-206 vote that kept it moving ahead. But some Republicans who have said they will oppose the bill on final passage allowed it to proceed.
The measure includes a six-month extension of federal funding to keep agencies and programs operating through March 28.
But Democrats want a shorter-term extension so that the current Congress will set full-year spending levels for fiscal year 2025 rather than the next president and Congress. They also want the proof of citizenship mandate stripped out of the bill, saying it's unnecessary because states already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters' eligibility and maintain accurate voter rolls.
“Is it any surprise that the speaker's purely partisan CR seems to be running into trouble?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, using Washington parlance for the short-term continuing resolution needed to prevent a shutdown. “The answer is very simple. The House should stop wasting time on a CR proposal that cannot become law.”
Schumer called on Johnson to consult with Democratic leaders and the White House on a bipartisan package that can pass both chambers.
A few House Republicans have also come out against the bill. Some won't vote for any continuing resolution. They want Congress to return to passing the dozen annual appropriations bills individually. Others say the continuing resolution funds programs at levels they consider inappropriate at a time of nearly $2 trillion annual deficits.
“I’m a firm no on bankrupting the nation and a yes on election integrity,” said Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., in announcing his opposition.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Republican leadership was asking him to vote for what he called “a Nancy Pelosi-Schumer budget.”
“I just think that's a bad idea,” Burchett said.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said on X that the continuing resolution was “an insult to Americans’ intelligence.”
"The CR doesn’t cut spending, and the shiny object attached to it will be dropped like a hot potato before passage," Massie said.
Republicans can afford to lose only four votes from their ranks if every Democrat votes against the bill.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday seemingly encouraged a government shutdown if Republicans in the House and Senate “don't get assurances on Election Security.” He said on the social media platform Truth Social that they should not go forward with a continuing resolution without such assurances.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell disagreed when asked about Trump's post.
“Shutting down the government is always a bad idea, no matter what time of the year it is,” McConnell said.
House Republicans met behind closed doors Tuesday morning to discuss the path forward. Rep. Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told colleagues “this is the best fight we've ever had," said Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
By holding another vote on the proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration, House Republicans are making Democrats in competitive swing districts take another vote on the issue ahead of the election. Last time, five Democrats sided with Republicans in support of the requirement. And their votes this time will be highly scrutinized.
Lawmakers said no plan B was discussed for government funding and that Johnson was determined to hold a vote regardless of the likely outcome.
“This is important to him," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. "This is the hill to die on.”
As lawmakers debated the short-term spending measure on the House floor, the focus was almost entirely on the proof of citizenship mandate, also referred to as the SAVE Act. Republicans linked a surge in migrants during the Biden administration with the prospect that some could vote in future elections.
“What are you afraid of to require someone to prove who they say that they are?" said Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y.
Democrats countered that the proof of citizenship requirement would disenfranchise many Americans who don’t have the required documents readily available when they get an opportunity to register to vote.
“Let me be clear, the SAVE Act is not about targeting undocumented immigrants, it's about suppressing the vote of millions of American citizens,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.