Time is running out for the U.S. Congress, with days remaining until a potential Washington shutdown after an essential funding bill failed to pass.
On Sept. 18, Republicans were unable to pass an essential stopgap bill, leaving the threat of a shutdown in the balance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had last week pulled the Continuing Resolution (CR), as it is also known, hours before the vote, owing to a lack of Republican support.
With a minimum of 218 votes being needed on the House floor for a bill to pass, the revised CR fell short with a 202–220 vote.
The fiscal bill for 2025 is due to come into force on Oct. 1, but if an agreement isn’t made by Sept. 30 the government will shut down.
“Now we go back to the playbook, draw up another play, and we'll come up with another solution,” Johnson said. “I’m already talking to colleagues.”
The House speaker is the leading officer of the House in Congress, which is made up of the House and the Senate, where legislation is made and national policy is shaped.
The contentious point in the CR is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act included in the bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
With historic numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border from Mexico, Johnson is eager to get the SAVE Act through ahead of the presidential elections on Nov. 5.
Democrats stand in unison against the act, saying that laws in effect already bar non-citizens from voting and further legislation would deprive minority voters.
They have instead asked for a “clean” CR, with no extra legislation included.
The bill, if passed, would then be voted on by the Senate and sent to President Joe Biden’s desk to sign. Biden has promised to veto the existing bill.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, commented on Democrats’ stance on the issue.
“I’m extraordinarily perplexed that the idea of reaffirming in a time of unmitigated disaster at the southern border that you’ve got to be an American citizen to vote in an election is somehow controversial,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sept. 19 that the Senate would prepare a temporary measure to avoid a government shutdown.
“Time is not a luxury that Congress has right now,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Government shutdowns have occurred during numerous administrations since the modern budget process began in 1974, normally over policy disputes between Democrats and Republicans involving spending.
The longest and most recent was during the Trump administration when the government shut down for 35 days in 2018–2019 over the funding of a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border.
