Congress is under time pressure to avert a shutdown, with both parties insisting on their position and some Republicans Express scepticism about her own party’s plans, less than a month before government funding runs out.
On Monday, lawmakers return to Washington to try to avert a government shutdown by Sept. 30. And while the upcoming election is expected to reduce the likelihood of a funding shortfall, Republicans in the House are already preparing for a confrontation with the Democratic-led Senate in what could be a messy, weeks-long debate over issues such as voting requirements and spending.
Republican leadership in the House of Representatives on Friday rolled out a plan The idea is to link a six-month interim solution, also known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), to a law supported by former President Trump and hardliners that calls for stricter proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration.
“Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and safeguard our federal election process,” said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) after introducing the bill.
“Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.”
In recent months, conservatives have been increasingly demanding a stopgap measure beyond December, hoping that Trump will return to the Oval Office in January and avoid a major year-end spending bill negotiated by the leaders of both chambers.
It is expected that Republicans in the House of Representatives will pass the proposal quickly, but Johnson has already faced some skepticism about the prospects of success of his strategy.
Some in the party are cautioning against making assumptions about the outcome of November’s election. And a House Republican told The Hill last week that they worry about leaving a complicated appropriations process to a brand up-to-date Congress.
“You’re going to put brand new members who were just elected through a really difficult vote on a budget package when they don’t even understand the budget process,” the member said, noting that Congress will also have to address the debt ceiling in January.
Still others in the party questioned the tying of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to a CR, pointing out that such a measure would almost certainly be rejected by the Democratic-dominated Senate.
Two conservatives have now spoken out against the CR. Johnson can only afford to lose four Republican votes on partisan bills.
“If Schumer wanted to, he could bring the SAVE Act to a vote and pass it. But he won’t. He wants illegals to vote in American elections,” Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale (Mont.) said in a post on the social platform X, referring to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.).
“We should focus on passing ALL 12 budget bills!” he added.
Others, however, want GOP leadership to continue its push with vigour, especially after the party was unable to pass more than a handful of partisan funding bills before its tardy July recess due to internal disagreements over spending policies.
“Republicans can sit around, wring their hands and do their usual blather, or they can join in, unite and then figure out how we strategize for the next two months,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), lead sponsor of the SAVE Act, said in an interview with The Hill before its introduction.
“But we have to think about what we do about government funding, and we have to think about what we do to build a fight that differentiates us from the Democrats.”
Democrats have firmly rejected the partisan CR plan.
“There is a clear, bipartisan path to responsibly fund the government, but instead Republicans in Congress are wasting time,” said Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, in a statement on the Republican-backed proposal.
“Their 6-month CR approach ignores urgent needs that have real consequences for our defense, our veterans, and our communities. We call on Congress to quickly pass legislation to keep the government open and provide emergency funding for disasters across the country, as they have done many times in the past on a bipartisan basis.”
The spending dispute also comes at a time when lawmakers on both sides have raised alarm about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facing a budget deficit of about $3 billion – another hurdle Congress will have to overcome this month.
The agency warned lawmakers earlier this summer that millions of veterans and survivors could face interruptions in benefits payments in October if Congress did not act by September 20, just over a week before the government shutdown deadline.
The VA cited the PACT Act, a landmark law passed in 2022 with bipartisan support, as the main cause of the budget deficit, citing an boost in enrollment in VA health care, as well as appointments and application benefits.
Senator John Boozman (Arkansas), the ranking Republican on the subcommittee that drafts annual funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, was pressed before the recess to operate the expected interim funding bill as a vehicle for legislation to eliminate the nearly $3 billion deficit.
“I think the only problem with this is that nobody really knows when that’s going to happen, but we want to make sure we’re taking care of the veterans and they’re not missing out on a check that many of them are completely dependent on,” Boozman said, although he noted there’s a “possibility” the emergency funds could be contingent on a CR.
Senators from both parties had hoped to pass a deficit-fixing bill before they left last month, but those efforts stalled as what some Republicans say was mismanagement at the agency came into focus.
House Republicans on Friday unveiled an emergency funding plan to address the deficit, but the party has not provided details on when the bill might come to a vote.
Emily Brooks contributed.
