WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden will veto a bill proposed by House Republicans to temporarily fund the government and avert a shutdown on Sept. 30.
The 2024 fiscal year will end on Sept. 30, after which Congress must authorize new spending to keep the government funded and operational. Neither chamber of Congress has passed all 12 appropriations bills to complete that process, nor is there agreement between them on the bills’ contents.
As a result, Congress will likely need to pass a continuing resolution, which funds the government for a temporary period after the deadline at funding levels authorized for the previous year.
A continuing resolution to this effect was introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) on behalf of the House GOP leadership on Sept. 6.
On Sept. 9, the Biden administration released a statement vowing to veto the bill, given its long duration—temporary funding through to March 2025—and the inclusion of controversial provisions related to federal elections.
“This continuing resolution (CR) would place agencies at insufficiently low levels—both for defense and non-defense—for a full six months, rather than providing a short-term stopgap to provide the Congress more time to work on full-year bills,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) wrote in a statement.
“This bill is especially irresponsible in matters of National Security as a six-month CR would erode our military advantage relative to the People’s Republic of China, degrade readiness, and fail to provide the support our troops deserve.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to colleagues that was shared with The Epoch Times, “Congress must pass a short-term continuing resolution that will permit us to complete the appropriations process during this calendar year.”
Congressional Republicans have told The Epoch Times they seek a longer CR in the hope that their party will win the presidency and control of Congress in November’s general election, after which they can pass a more conservative spending bill in 2025.
“We'll fund the government into March ... We’re going to give [government spending] to President Trump’s administration to fix,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote in a statement.
The CR includes text from the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, a bill passed by the House in July that seeks to prevent foreign nationals from voting in U.S. elections. Democrats have opposed the measure amid claims it will make voter registration difficult for U.S. citizens, who may have to provide more documents before registering.
“This bill includes unrelated cynical legislation that would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls,” the OMB wrote.
“States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls.”
It is unlikely that Senate Democrats, who control the Senate, will agree to the CR as introduced by Higgins, necessitating negotiations between the chambers to reach a compromise. Congress will be in session for 14 days before the shutdown deadline.
“As I have said before, the only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way,” wrote Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter to his colleagues.
“That is how we’ve handled every funding bill in the past, and this time should be no exception.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not released a statement on Biden’s veto pledge, his office confirmed.
