Republicans Try to Pass New Voter Citizenship Bill

The US House of Representatives will vote Wednesday evening on Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal that would tie federal government funding for the new fiscal year to states requiring proof of citizenship when registering new voters.

According to CBS “The play that we ran tonight was the right play,” Johnson said after the vote, while expressing disappointment that the bill didn’t pass. “So now we go back to the playbook, draw up another play and we’ll come up with a solution.”

Johnson withdrew the bill last week because it did not have enough votes to pass, and said at the time that he would work over the weekend to build consensus among Republicans.

“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

It is unclear whether Johnson succeeded, as some Republicans have expressed concerns about the spending levels of the project, but Johnson has said he is determined to hold the vote regardless. Meanwhile, Democrats are largely opposed to the project.

Requiring new voters to prove citizenship has become a major election-year priority for Republicans, who are raising the issue of non-citizen voting in the United States, even though it is already illegal and studies show the practice is rare.

Opponents also say the requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have a birth certificate or passport ready to register at schools, churches or other locations during voter registration drives.

But Johnson said it’s a serious problem because even a small percentage of noncitizens vote, it can decide a very close race. He noted that Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa won her seat in 2020 by just six votes.

“This is very serious, which is why we will do the right thing,” Johnson said. “We will fund the government responsibly and we will stop non-citizens from voting in elections.”

Hours before the vote, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump encouraged House Republicans to allow a partial government shutdown to begin at the end of the month if they do not pass the citizenship requirement, known in the House as the SAVE Act.

Johnson told reporters he was not prepared to discuss an alternative plan to keep the government funded. “Let’s see what happens with the project. We’re on the pitch in the middle of the game. The leader has a plan. We’re going to implement it,” he said.

House Democrats made clear that the citizenship requirement should not be part of the temporary measure to keep the government funded and urged Johnson to work with them on a bill that could pass both chambers.

“This will not become law,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. “This is just political theatrics by Republicans to please the most extreme members of their conference, to show that they are on to something and that they still support the former president in his campaign to demonize immigrants.”

Lawmakers are no closer to finishing work on the 12 annual bills that will fund government agencies through the next fiscal year, so they will need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a partial shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the only way to prevent a government shutdown is for both sides to work together to reach a deal, and he said Johnson’s House vote was doomed to fail.

“The only thing it will accomplish is to make clear that he is at a dead end,” Schumer said. “We have to come up with a bipartisan plan.”

The legislation would fund government agencies overall at current levels while lawmakers work out their differences over an annual spending agreement.

Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for a short-term extension. The temporary dissolution would allow the current Congress to negotiate a final bill after the election and bring it to Democratic President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

But Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his party are pushing for a six-month extension in the hope that Republican candidate Donald Trump will win the election and give them more leverage when drafting the annual bill.

Regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s vote, Republican lawmakers sought to allay concerns about a potential government shutdown at the end of the month. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said that if the bill fails, another stopgap resolution should be voted on that would allow lawmakers to return to Washington after the election and finish work on the spending bill.