WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Askume) – A senior U.S. House Republican said on Thursday his party should begin negotiations with Democrats to fund the government after a Sept. 30 deadline, a controversial move that House Speaker Mike Johnson has rejected and has yet to decide on next steps.
Representative Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters that he and others “support what he (Johnson) is trying to do,” but noted that the deadline is accelerating.
Johnson on Wednesday cancelled a vote on a bill that would keep government funding at current levels until March 2025 and impose a controversial provision requiring people to show proof of citizenship to register to vote because he personally opposed the clause.
Republicans currently have a 220-211 majority in the House, meaning they must frequently rely on Democrats to pass legislation.
But Democrats opposed the appropriations bill because the ballot measure was unnecessary since it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.
Johnson also faces additional pressure from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump , who has urged Republicans to shut down the government if they cannot pass voting-related legislation.
But Trump’s stance has not been popular among party moderates, many of whom face a tough reelection battle in the November 5 election .
“We can’t shut down the government five weeks before the election,” Cole said. “There are things that need to be negotiated and the final agreement will depend on the Democratic vote.” He pointed to Democratic control of the U.S. Senate and the White House and said both sides need to reach agreement on any final stopgap funding solution.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Thursday that he had a “brief conversation” with Johnson a day earlier about finding a “path forward” for government funding, but he declined to disclose details of the discussion.
