House Republicans defeated their own plan to avert a government shutdown by failing to pass a short-term funding bill that was linked to the SAVE Act, a Trump-backed legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The vote was 202-220, with some Republicans voting against the package citing concerns over military funding and the length of the extension. Democrats want a “clean” three-month funding patch with no attachments and are unlikely to support the GOP’s bill.
Despite the looming shutdown on October 1st, there is still no bipartisan plan in place. Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan was met with opposition from both Republicans and Democrats, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging Johnson to negotiate with Senate Democrats to come up with a bipartisan agreement. Republicans are being warned of political consequences from a shutdown just weeks before the election, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling it “politically beyond stupid.”
Johnson defended his strategy after the failed vote but did not offer details on the next steps. It is likely that the Senate will bring a clean CR to the floor to fund the government into December, buying time for bipartisan negotiators. Despite the setbacks, lawmakers are hopeful that an agreement can still be reached to avoid a shutdown and keep the government operational.
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