WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Askume) – The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on Wednesday on a six-month temporary funding bill proposed by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson that faces strong opposition from Democrats and was introduced less than three weeks before a government shutdown deadline.
House Republicans added a controversial provision that would require people to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. The measure is designed to force Democrats to take a stand on the politically important issue of non-citizen voting, which is already illegal in federal elections.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump , who has falsely claimed his defeat in 2020 was due to fraud, has urged Republicans to pass the ballot measure ahead of the Nov. 5 election .
The federal government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, when funding for many agencies runs out. Without some sort of extension, many federal programs deemed nonessential will have to suspend operations, resulting in the furlough of thousands of government employees.
Congress has until the end of the month to approve a stopgap funding bill for two main reasons: House and Senate members want to return to their states and districts to run for re-election. And a shutdown, especially before an election, could fuel voter resentment against the party blamed for failing to pass timely legislation.
The appropriations bill’s success is not guaranteed in the House, which Republicans control by a slim 220-211 margin. Several House Republicans have said they will vote against the measure, citing spending concerns, and many members of the caucus generally oppose stopgap spending measures.
Johnson told reporters he planned to move forward, saying, “We’re going to do the right thing and let the situation suffer its consequences.”
On Tuesday, two Republicans joined Democrats in voting against procedural steps to advance the bill.
If the funding plan passes the House, it will face opposition from the Democratic majority in the Senate. Mainly, they argue that civil registration requirements undermine confidence in the conduct of elections.
“We’re watching a movie we’ve seen over and over again,” said Schumer, the Senate majority leader. “House Republicans are trying to pass a bill that is so partisan it would split their own caucus. This proposal is anything but serious.”
The White House said Monday that President Joe Biden would veto the funding package because it would require an “extraordinary” vote. The administration wants to provide temporary funding for less than six months and provide more money to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
Lawmakers also face a more important self-imposed deadline of Jan. 1 by which they must act to raise or lower the national debt limit or face the federal government’s more than $35 trillion in debt at risk of becoming unpayable.
