Some House Republicans are already privately worrying about how a partial government shutdown could affect their chances of winning in November's election.
“If we shut it down, we lose,” one lawmaker told Fox News Digital.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, revealed the plan to avert a partial government shutdown during a private conference call with House Republicans on Wednesday morning, four sources told Fox News Digital.
It involves a six-month extension of fiscal year 2024 federal funding levels, known as a “continuing resolution” (CR) to give House and Senate negotiators time to hammer out spending priorities for next year, and is linked to a bill that would add a proof of citizenship requirement to voter registration.
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House Republican leaders are moving forward with a plan to avert a government shutdown linked to an election bill backed by President Trump. (Getty Images)
But with both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the White House openly opposing the Protect American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, Johnson's plan would most likely be thwarted at that point, even if it passes the House of Representatives.
“My issue isn't with the policies that I support or the message that I think is strong. My issue is that I don't believe Chuck Schumer would agree to this,” the second House Republican said of his concerns about the plan.
If the Senate and House of Representatives cannot agree on a future course of action by October 1, a partial government shutdown could occur, about a month before Election Day.
Americans have traditionally blamed Republicans for previous government shutdowns, such as those seen under the Obama administration, in 2013 and the Trump administration.
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“Voters in general seem to be more inclined to blame Republicans for the government shutdown, and that's understandable,” the second Republican continued.
“We often use more aggressive rhetoric prior to a government shutdown. We are often the first to say that a government shutdown isn't a real issue. So I think we're telling voters that we're OK with that. I think that makes it a little easier for Democrats to try to shut us down.” [it]”
They added at the end of their explanation, “But tango is a dance of two, and we don't think overdoing it is what we're looking for.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opposes the elections bill being pushed by House Republicans. (Reuters/Cheney Orr)
Meanwhile, two sources familiar with Tuesday's call with House Republicans said questions were raised about what Johnson's next move would be if the Senate sent back a “clean” CR without attachments, and concerns were also expressed about how a potential shutdown would affect vulnerable Republicans.
“The Republican Party has the majority today because they won seats in California. [other blue states]”These seem to be the senators who would be most hurt by a government shutdown in the four weeks before the election,” a second Republican said.
Veteran Republican strategist Doug Haigh said a potential shutdown might not have as much impact because this is a presidential election year, but acknowledged that “it really does carry risks.”
“While the blame for the government shutdown is typically placed on Republicans, it could impact Harris' argument that Trump is bringing chaos,” Hay said.
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But, he added, “It's not something I'd bet on, especially since the Chancellor has laid out a path to avoid this.”
Other Republicans dismissed concerns about the political backlash if a government shutdown occurred.
“The legacy media is portraying these shutdowns worse than they are. … Nobody is going to lose their homes. Nobody is going to lose a penny. Everybody is going to get back on track,” Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee who neither supports nor opposes Johnson's plan, told Fox News Digital this week.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, called on House Republicans to take advantage of the government shutdown. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A partial government shutdown would halt non-essential federal services and potentially result in the layoffs of thousands of government employees.
But federal payments that were suspended during the government shutdown will be paid retroactively to recipients.
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Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, one of the SAVE Act's authors, has not said whether he would want a government shutdown if Johnson's plan doesn't pass.
“I'm not going to play the government shutdown game… The media wants to cover the government shutdown. Democrats want to cover the government shutdown,” Roy said. “We're offering to fund the government, which, by the way, is guilty of all sorts of things… We're happy to do that, but they need to make sure the election is secure.”
“if [Democrats] If they want to shut down the government, that's on them.”
