Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to delay a House vote on his plan to avert a partial government shutdown on Wednesday after a number of Republican Party defectors put the bill on hold within days of its passage.
Johnson told reporters that there would be “no vote today” on the measure, which is a short-term extension of this year’s government funding, a so-called Continuing Resolution (CR), coupled with a measure requiring proof of citizenship as a condition for voter registration.
House leaders had originally planned to hold the vote late Wednesday afternoon, but at least eight Republican lawmakers signaled their opposition early in the morning.
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Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson during a press conference. (Getty Images)
Conservative opponents on Johnson’s right, who mostly opposed CRs in general—seeing them as an extension of the overly broad “omnibus” spending bills they opposed—accused Republican leaders in the House of Representatives of trying to appease them with a messaging bill that would ultimately not become law.
Some GOP security experts also expressed skepticism about the six-month extension, given the bill’s impact on the military and other defense spending, and instead pushed for a shorter extension into December.
To avoid a partial government shutdown, House and Senate leaders must agree on government funding by September 30.
A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that Johnson was expected to hold the vote next week, and the spokesman also alluded to this in his comments.
Johnson unveils Trump-backed House Republican plan to avoid government shutdown and prepares for fight with Schumer
President Biden threatened to veto the plan. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
“The American people demand and deserve that we do everything possible to secure the election. We have said that time and time again,” Johnson said. “We will continue to work on that. The Whip will do the hard work of building consensus. We will be working on that all weekend.”
In a swipe at opponents of the bill on both sides, Johnson said: “I want every member of Congress, regardless of party, to explain to the American people why we should not make it a U.S. citizen election.”
Trump had advocated for the six-month CR attached to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act last month, urging Republicans in the House of Representatives to use a shutdown weeks before Election Day to pass the bill.
He seemed to change his mind somewhat this week, urging GOP lawmakers to vote against CR unless a crackdown on noncitizen voting could be expected.
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Former President Trump is also urging Republicans to take advantage of a shutdown. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Unless Republicans in the House and Senate receive absolute assurances on election security, THEY SHOULD NOT PASS A CONTINUED BUDGET RESOLUTION. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO ‘FILL’ VOTER REGISTRATION WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN – SHUT IT DOWN!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth social app.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a Johnson critic and close Trump ally, told reporters of his post: “He’s talking about Speaker Johnson. Look, we can all go to battle and vote for a CR Act and the SAVE Act, but none of that matters if the Speaker of the House isn’t willing to fight for it. And that’s why I think Truth Social was aimed at one man, and that’s where the pressure is.”
