Speaker Johnson Delays Vote on Stopgap Bill Designed to Avert Shutdown

WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled a scheduled vote on Sept. 11 on a six-month stopgap funding bill amid Republican opposition that would have likely defeated the bill.

“No vote today because we’re in the consensus-building business here in Congress. With small majorities, that’s what you do,” Johnson told reporters outside the House chamber. “We’re having thoughtful conversations, family conversations within the Republican conference and I believe we’ll get there.”

The proposed stopgap funding bill, dubbed a continuing resolution, would punt the deadline for a government shutdown to March 2025. Funding for the government is set to run dry in less than three weeks on Sept. 30. The bill also includes legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

The bill was originally scheduled for a vote on Wednesday afternoon, but with a rising number of Republicans coming out against it, along with overwhelming objection from Democrats, it appeared destined to fail. The GOP holds a razor-thin majority so it can only lose a handful of votes on partisan measures.

Some Republicans oppose the bill because they consider the top-line spending figures too high. Others in the right flank reject using continuing resolutions at all, arguing that Congress should pass the 12 mandatory annual spending bills individually, rather than deploying large catch-all bills that have become common practice in recent years.

Johnson on Wednesday continued to make the case for the SAVE Act.

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“I want any member of Congress—in either party—to explain to the American people why we should not ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in U.S. elections,” the speaker said.

Democrats have strongly opposed the package, with some saying it was a “waste of time” to work on a bill that could not become law. The White House said earlier this week that President Joe Biden would veto the bill if it were to make it to the president’s desk. Democrats have rejected the SAVE Act, saying that existing laws already bar illegal immigrants from voting.

“Republicans should work with Democrats on a bipartisan package that has input from both sides,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sept. 10.

Several Republicans who oppose the bill cited that the package has little chance of becoming law.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who is supportive of the SAVE Act, said there is “no way” for the election integrity measure to be implemented before the Nov. 5 election, even if it were to pass.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said on Sept. 10 that the effort by Johnson was “disingenuous” given that the bill is unlikely to be either passed or implemented.

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue in a Sept. 10 post on Truth Social, encouraging Republicans not to pass a continuing resolution without “assurances on Election Security,” referring to the SAVE Act.

When asked about Trump’s post, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) disagreed.

“Shutting down the government is always a bad idea, no matter what time of the year it is,” McConnell said on Sept. 10.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.