Johnson Plan on Spending Bill Draws Doubts

House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly planning a showdown with Senate Democrats over a spending bill that’s needed to keep the government open and fully functioning once the new fiscal year starts on October 1. Embracing a demand from the far-right Freedom Caucus, Johnson plans to bring up a continuing resolution, or CR, that will fund the government through March 2025, with amendments that include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill backed by former President Donald Trump that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

That would set the House bill on a collision course with Senate Democrats.

As The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell report, the dynamic is a familiar one, as Johnson seeks to please his most conservative supporters while trying to pass a bill that requires cooperation from Democrats. The result, some Republicans fear, will be familiar, too, with Johnson abandoning his approach after it fails.

One GOP member of the House described Johnson’s plan as “fruitless,” even as the lawmaker pledged support. “We all know the only thing that will get through is a clean CR! Other than that it’s shut down city!” the member said.

A handful of GOP lawmakers have said they would oppose the bill, with Rep. Nick LaLota of New York asking Johnson to submit a “clean” CR. LaLota, whose district was won by President Joe Biden in 2020, warned that if the funding showdown leads to a government shutdown next month, as many as 10 Republicans could be at risk of losing their House seats.

Johnson reportedly plans to plow ahead, arguing that you can’t know if an effort will fail until you try it. But some lawmakers say it’s pretty clear that a clean CR will be the final outcome. Indiana Republican Rep. Larry Buschon said he doesn’t think it makes sense to shut the government over a questionable amendment. “You realize the federal law already says that … you have to be a citizen to vote. So, from my perspective, I hope it doesn’t hold up the funding,” he told Politico. “I think that ultimately we will … pass a clean CR into early December.”