House Set to Pass Bill to Prevent Government Shutdown After Dropping Trump Voting Plan
The House on Thursday afternoon will vote on a measure to avert a government shutdown, but eliminates a controversial Trump-backed voting initiative. With a growing number of Republicans in open revolt, the bill, to fund the government until December 20th is expected to be approved with Democratic assistance.
Flash — Government Shutdown Averted with Bipartisan Support
By Wednesday, the House is expected to approve a measure that will avoid shutting down the government. The change comes after House Republicans did an about-face and eliminated a proposal backed by former President Donald Trump to make proof of citizenship mandatory as part of the voting process, which they called the SAVE Act.
Rob Ford ‘crack’ video sold to Gawker; The GOP leadership has hit opposition within its ranks, and is needing Democrats to put the bill over the top. If the House approves the measure it will then be sent to the Senate, which is expected to pass it in time to avert a government shutdown when the fiscal year ends on September 30.
What Else is in The Bill: Main Provisions
The measure — brokered by House Minority Whip Mike Johnson (R-La.) and key Democrats — will avert a shutdown by temporarily extending government funding at current levels through December 20. It would also provide $231 million in additional funding for the Secret Service, to help respond to campaign-related work and increased security costs following two assassination attempts on Donald Trump.
The stopgap spending provision would push back the next round of shutdown fights until after Nov. 5, a date by which both parties might recalibrate those positions in response to the election outcome.
Dropping Trump’s SAVE Act: New GOP Strategy?
Republican vice presidential nominee Donald Trump called on GOP senators to force a government shutdown over language in the bill that he claimed doesn’t require proof of citizenship, as well as expansion of language from the SAVE Act requiring it for voter registration. The SAVE Act, while not dealing with a major problem, was viewed by Trump and his backers as essential to election security.
But Johnson pushed a new bill this week, following a prior failed bill in which the House voted down SAVE combined with government funding puts by Jennifer Smola Staff Writer Central Ohio News-Journal But after that House vote growth bargaining out of the passage of the Act, Johnson — Assistant reached for comment — opted to remove those provisions from tomorrow legislation. Johnson stood by his decision, claiming that while he and Trump agree on the principle of ensuring election integrity, a shutdown so close to Election Day would be an act of “political malpractice.”
Council Speaker Johnson — In Touch With Trump Throughout Process
Although he is no longer advancing the SAVE Act, Speaker Johnson said that this does not amount to insubordination against Trump. He said he had been in talks with the ex-president throughout the negotiations. While Trump and Johnson raised some of the same concerns about election security, Johnson laid blame on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N. Sen. Y.) for the Senate hold on the SAVE Act.
Johnson laments that the SAVE Act actually passed the House earlier in the summer, but it has been languishing on Schumer’s desk. Nevertheless, Johnson emphasized that Trump is “acutely aware of the position he is in and a shutdown so close to the election would not be good for him.”
Ready To Pass The Bill Without Amendments, Senate
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote on the funding bill next as quickly as they could, with no amendments that could slow up from passing unchanged. Schumer announced that there is a deal in the Senate on a quick passage of the bill to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown.
Schumer assured Americans that their lives would not be affected by a totally avoidable government shutdown. The Senate will also vote on a budget resolution offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), which vows to balance the budget over five years by reducing every federal dollar spent by six cents. Paul, however, said he won’t force votes to amend the stopgap spending bill.
The 74 covers the pending Trump vs. Biden shutdown battle, until after the election.
The measure, if approved, would avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown but only kicks the next potential shutdown fight to the other side of the Nov. 3 election. At that point, both parties (presumably) will have a better idea of the political environment and can calibrate their strategies accordingly.
Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) insisted that most of Congress doesn’t want it
Johnson Counting On Dem Votes
Once again, the bill was able to get out of committee only with Democratic votes because hard-line conservatives in Sharp’s own party have opposed it, requiring that supporters (including Johnson and most Democrats) rely on Democrats just like they did Wednesday. Previous attempts to bring the funding bill to the House floor have been stymied by procedural problems as some of the most conservative House Republicans swelled ranks in opposition.
Johnson has opted to skip regular procedural steps and go directly to a two-thirds majority vote, meaning the bill is almost certain of passing in practice with the backing of far more democrats The latest example of Johnson relying on Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown only serves as an even bigger billboard for the tensions within the GOP ranks over federal spending.
Conclusion: A Temporary Fix for a Deeper Issue
The House is expected to approve a bipartisan funding bill that will allow the government to remain open through December 20 and avoid an immediate shutdown. Though the exclusion of Trump’s SAVE Act from the bill has caused a mini-furor, it appears the larger aim to stave off a shutdown was accomplished. And yet were another shutdown fight to loom immediately after the election, the congressional divisions that remain would have likely forced a larger problem in just a few months.