Funding Fight Heads Up as Deadline for Shutdown & Election Loom

After a six-week summer recess, members of Congress are back in Washington, and are facing a familiar hurdle: avoiding a government shutdown.

The deadline to fund the government is September, the end of the fiscal year. And to add more drama, a presidential and congressional election is just weeks away.

House Republicans are hanging their hat on a six-month continuing resolution that would keep the government funded at current levels and put future decisions in the hands of the next president and congress.

That resolution is paired with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote and is backed by former President Trump. It marks a significant turn by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to placate some of the hard-right members of his caucus.

“Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” said Speaker Johnson in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.”

Tough Road to Passage

While the bill passed the House Rules committee, its fate in the broader House is uncertain.

At least five House Republicans have publicly said they’re against a House extension over funding principles. And so far, the five Democrats who previously voted for the SAVE Act have been noncommittal.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called the Republican coupling of funding with voter legislation “unserious and unacceptable” as well as “partisan and extreme.”

Even if the legislation somehow makes it through the House, it’s a non-starter in the Senate.

“We will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk,” said Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a letter to colleagues.