House GOP Scraps Their Vote
In a recent development, Republican leaders have pulled their government spending proposal from consideration just hours before it was set to go to a vote on the House floor. This move has thrown lawmakers back to the drawing board as they scramble to prevent a government shutdown, now looming just three weeks away.
The proposed continuing resolution, which aimed to maintain current spending levels through March 2025, was initially slated for a vote on Wednesday afternoon. However, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) chose to withdraw the bill after encountering significant opposition from within his own party. This opposition made it clear that the proposal was on a collision course with failure.
“We’re committed to resolving this issue, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) will be leading the charge to secure support,” Speaker Johnson stated. House GOP leaders are now planning to continue their efforts over the weekend to forge a consensus, signaling that no further progress will be made this week on the vote to avoid a shutdown.
Johnson’s proposal, unveiled last week, suggested extending fiscal 2024 spending levels into the following year but included a stipulation for the Republicans’ SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration. While this condition was intended to satisfy some of the more conservative members of his caucus, it ultimately led to the proposal’s rejection by several of those same hard-liners, who insisted on including spending cuts despite the threat of a shutdown.
Given the narrow Republican majority in the House, Johnson can only afford to lose four GOP votes if all Democrats oppose the bill. With at least eight Republicans publicly rejecting the continuing resolution and others likely to join them, the bill’s prospects looked grim.
Even if the resolution managed to pass the House, the SAVE Act would likely face strong resistance in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Some Republicans believe that combining the CR with the SAVE Act would only lead to a clean extension of funding levels without any of the desired policy changes.
Looking ahead, it remains uncertain how Johnson will navigate the spending proposal. He might revise the proposal to gain more support from his conservative colleagues, though a faction of lawmakers known as the “Never CR” group remains steadfast against any stopgap spending measures, regardless of accompanying policies.
Alternatively, Johnson could opt for a “clean” CR with no additional policy provisions, which might attract Democratic support and help push the deal through. However, this approach could alienate the hard-right Republicans, placing Johnson in a challenging position as he weighs his next steps.
Congress faces a critical deadline at the end of September to pass the budget before the new fiscal year begins on October 1. Failure to do so will result in a government shutdown, a scenario many GOP lawmakers are eager to avoid as the November elections approach.
