As both sides remain adamant in a pre-election financing showdown, the White House on Monday strongly criticized a partisan proposal recently released by Republican leaders to avert a government shutdown scheduled for later this month.
The White House argued that the budget proposal released Friday falls short of providing “necessary resources” for defense programs and veterans, while saying the Republican-backed bill would move the government closer to “across-the-board cuts to programs the American people rely on.”
The Hill has reached out to the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) for comment.
Congress must pass a bill to secure government funding by September 30 or risk a government shutdown.
House Republican leaders on Friday released a stopgap plan, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), to keep the government funded through March and also add language tightening citizenship requirements to vote.
The strategy of combining the temporary measures with the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act comes as Republicans seek to make immigration and the border a key campaign issue ahead of the November election.
Johnson said Friday that the proposal was a “vitally important step to safeguard federal funding and keep our federal election process safe.”
“Congress has a responsibility to do both and ensure that only the American people can determine America's elections,” he added.
The stopgap proposal puts House Republicans at odds with Senate Democrats over timing. Conservatives optimistic about former President Donald Trump's chances of retaking the White House in November have pushed for the stopgap to last beyond December, arguing that if elected, he would have more influence over how the government is funded through much of 2025.
Democrats are instead pushing a stopgap measure that would keep the government funded through the lame-duck period from November to January, while pressuring lawmakers to finish the full-year funding process by the end of the year, a strategy that some Republican negotiators have voiced support for, even as they question the effectiveness of the plan.
Democrats also say the Republican-backed timeline is too close to the April deadline, arguing that if they don't finish the funding by that date, lawmakers risk triggering across-the-board cuts to federal programs.
“The six-month austerity measures will last through the end of March, just 30 days before the Fiscal Responsibility Act's spending cuts deadline, which would see across-the-board cuts take effect if a full-year bill is not passed,” the White House said in a statement on Monday.
“With this short window next year, there is a much higher risk that these cuts will be implemented, leading to devastating cuts to education and Head Start programs, veterans, military, Border Patrol, food assistance for mothers, infants and low-income families, food and aviation security, and more,” he added.
