The House of Representatives has voted down Speaker Mike Johnson’s six-month, continuing resolution (CR) bill, which included a rider requiring proof of citizenship for anyone registering to vote, by a tally of 202-220. Two Republicans voted present.
Advertisement
via Fox News:
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown failed on Wednesday.
It was voted down 202 to 220, with two Republicans – Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. – voting “present.”
Several Republicans voted against House GOP leadership’s bill, a six-month extension of the current year’s federal funding levels coupled with a measure to require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.
There were several roadblocks to the proposal’s passage, from both sides of the aisle:
A significant number of Republicans object to a stop-gap spending patch called a continuing resolution (CR) on principle – believing it to be an unnecessary extension of government bloat.
National security hawks expressed concern about the impact of a six-month funding extension on military readiness without added funds to keep up with rising costs.
…
Democrats, however, have called for a “clean” CR free from conservative policy riders. And senior lawmakers in both parties argued that a CR through December is the best course of action to allow Congress to reevaluate after the election.
Advertisement
We previously wrote about the details of the bill:
It’s official. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act will indeed be a part of the continuing resolution (CR), which Speaker Mike Johnson introduced on Friday in a 46-page proposal to fund the U.S. government through the 2024 election. And the other side of the aisle is speaking out loudly in opposition to it.
via The Hill:
The 46-page plan would keep the government funded into March 2025, while tacking on language for stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting, setting the stage for a budget showdown with Senate Democrats later this month.
Read More:
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) who wrote the SAFE Act, spoke about it on the “War Room” podcast. He said:
I would dare any one of my colleagues who are against this plan, come forward with a better plan that we will actually be able to move, pass, and unite the Republican Party to go beat Democrats.
Don’t predict failure and then be the reason why we fail – and that’s what some of my friends are doing, unfortunately.
Former President Trump shared his take on the bill’s prospects, in a Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon before the vote:
Advertisement
The post ends with:
BE SMART, REPUBLICANS, YOU’VE BEEN PUSHED AROUND LONG ENOUGH BY THE DEMOCRATS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN. Remember, this is Biden/Harris’ fault, not yours!
What happens next? SpeakerJohnson spoke to reporters after the vote:
We’ll keep you posted.