House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said he is “resolved” to forge ahead with his efforts to tie a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote to a short-term government funding measure despite a bevy of opposition.

Johnson's comments come despite the White House issuing a veto threat, Democrats blasting the proposal as “unserious” and even some in his own party questioning his approach with just weeks until government funding set to expire.

What You Need To Know

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said he is “resolved” on forging ahead with his efforts to tie a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote to a six month stopgap funding measure to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month
  • The White House threatened to veto the bill, Democrats panned his proposal as "unserious" and even members of his own party have questioned his approach

  • A key procedural vote on the funding measure linked with the bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote narrowly passed on Tuesday afternoon, 209-206, with two Republicans opposed

  • Democrats, at their own leadership press conference on Tuesday, accused House Republicans of liking to “flirt with catastrophe” and urged GOP leadership “to put a serious [continuing resolution] on the table"
  • Congress has three weeks to come to an agreement on a stopgap funding measure to buy time for a budget for the full fiscal year to be worked out and prevent a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, weeks before a high-stakes election 

“I believe we can fund the government responsibly and I believe that we can do right by the American people and ensure the security of our elections and I defy anybody to give me any logical argument why we shouldn’t do that,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday at the GOP House leadership press conference. “That’s why I am so resolute about this.” 

A key procedural vote on the funding measure linked with the bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote narrowly passed on Tuesday afternoon, 209-206, with two Republicans opposed. Johnson said after the procedural vote, he plans to bring the legislation to the full House floor on Wednesday. 

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. 

Johnson did not, however, explicitly rule out pursuing a so-called “clean” stopgap funding measure – known as a continuing resolution or CR – that would extend current government funding for a period of time without the election act attached. Instead, the speaker said he would not engage in the hypothetical and doubled down on his intent to move ahead with the current proposed legislation. 

“I am resolved on this and I don’t know what more I can say to show that conviction,” Johnson said. 

On the other side of the aisle, at their own leadership press conference on Tuesday, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar accused House Republicans of liking to “flirt with catastrophe” and urged GOP leadership “to put a serious CR on the table.”

Separately, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that Johnson's package is going "nowhere" and told reporters that when Republicans want to negotiate on a bipartisan basis, "I'm ready when they are."

"Right now, the only thing bipartisan about this proposal is the disdain around it from people in both parties," the New York Democrat said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

Schumer's comments came Tuesday afternoon, around when former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, urged members of his party not to move forward with any spending provision that does not come with "absolute assurances" on election security.

"If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET," Trump wrote on his social media platform before baselessly accusing Democrats of "TRYING TO 'STUFF' VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN - CLOSE IT DOWN!!!

Schumer appeared to be unbowed by Trump's comments, telling reporters that the ex-president "ran into trouble years ago when he threatened ... when he said he'd own shutting down the government."

"The bottom line is we want a bipartisan negotiation," Schumer said. "We will sit down and do a bipartisan negotiation. That’s the only way to pass it."

Congress has three weeks to come to an agreement on a stopgap funding measure to buy time for a budget for the full fiscal year to be worked out and prevent a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, weeks before a high-stakes election. 

When asked if a shutdown could jeopardize Republicans' prospects in November's election, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put it bluntly: "A Government shutdown is always a bad idea, at any time."

When asked about Trump's comments specifically, McConnell reiterated his stance that a shutdown is "always" negative.

Johnson’s proposal would keep funding levels largely the same until the end of March 2025, punting the process of crafting a new budget to a new Congress and a new White House, potentially one occupied by former President Donald Trump should he win in November. 

House Republicans argue the election measure, known as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, is essential – especially in recent years when we’ve seen races won on thin margins – to ensure only Americans can participate in our elections.

The legislation passed the House on its own earlier this summer, with five Democrats joining their GOP colleagues to support it. 

But Democratic leaders argue such legislation is unnecessary as it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

Party leaders and the Biden administration are also criticizing the funding proposal for what the White House said would be “devastating across-the-board cuts” to education, veterans, the military and more. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week also warned that a long-term continuing resolution could hurt military readiness. 

“There are significant cuts, as the vice chair mentioned, significant cuts to veterans health care legislation, significant cuts that I’m paying attention to in the disaster relief fund,” Aguilar told reporters. 

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday called Johnson’s proposal “unserious and unacceptable,” and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it. 

Monday also saw several House Republicans disavow the plan on the table. If the full House is present and voting, Johnson can only lose four GOP votes if all Democrats oppose it.