House Republicans introduced legislation Friday that would avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and keep the government funded through the end of March, when a new president and Congress will make final decisions on spending and agency priorities for fiscal year 2025.
Republicans also added a thorny immigration issue to the measure by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when someone registers to vote. Including a citizenship requirement is not a starting point in the Senate, complicating the spending bill's prospects.
Lawmakers return to Washington next week after a traditional August recess spent mostly in their home states and districts. They are not close to finishing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund agencies in the next fiscal year, so they will need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
“Today, House Republicans are taking a critical step to keep the federal government funded and to ensure the security of our federal election process,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide the outcome of American elections.”
A Call for Bipartisanship
But in a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray said bipartisan support, not a partisan bill, was needed to avert a shutdown.
“If Speaker Johnson leads House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the likelihood of a shutdown will increase dramatically, and the American people will know that the responsibility for the shutdown will fall on the shoulders of House Republicans,” Schumer and Murray said.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, it is a crime under federal law for a non-citizen to vote or even register to vote in a federal election.
Johnson's decision to add a 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 counting on Republican nominee Donald Trump to win, also called for the measure to fund the government early next year so Republicans can get more of their legislative priorities passed.
Some Republican leaders wanted to pass final spending bills before the end of this Congress so that a new president, whether Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, could focus more on hiring and pursuing his or her own top priorities rather than resolving differences over spending.
Republicans say requiring proof of citizenship would ensure that only American citizens vote in U.S. elections, increasing confidence in the country's federal election system. But opponents say evidence shows that noncitizen voting in federal elections is extremely rare, and such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who lack the necessary documents to easily register.
It remains to be seen what will happen if the bill passes the House this week and the Senate refuses to pass it or rejects it.
The bill would fund agencies at current levels through March 28, though it also includes money to cover additional security costs related to Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster response fund.