Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana announced Tuesday he would move forward with a vote in the full House to prevent a government shutdown that would involve a bill aimed at cracking down on foreign nationals voting.
“Congress has an immediate duty to do two things: fund the federal government responsibly and ensure election security,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Because we owe it to our voters, we will move forward with the six-month CR with the SAVE Act attached on Wednesday,” he added. “I urge all of my colleagues to do what the vast majority of people in this country rightly demand and deserve – to stop non-Americans from voting in our elections.”
Prime Minister Johnson proposed a six-month extension of current fiscal year government funding levels, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), Protecting American Voters' Eligibility to Vote (SAVE) ActThe bill seeks to require states to obtain proof of citizenship (in person) when individuals register to vote and to require states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
As Johnson locks into funding fight, House Republicans grow suspicious: 'Toying with a government shutdown'
Most Democrats oppose a Comprehensive Revenue Code with the SAVE Act, and the Biden-Harris Administration has warned that it would veto such a bill. Comprehensive Revenue Code also faces opposition from some House Republicans.
“Your bill does not responsibly fund our government,” wrote Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in response to Johnson's comments about X. “It's 12 bills rolled into one that will continue the wasteful spending that is ruining our country. The fact that you've added a 13th bill doesn't make it a serious solution. Stop insulting your constituents.”
“Like a dead but doomed zombie, the CR+Save Act has returned,” Massie added in another post. “Speaker Johnson is fighting a false war by adding shiny objects (which he will later abandon) to a bill that will continue his destructive spending path. I will not take any part in this disgraceful farce. Not at all.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol after the final vote of the week, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted Johnson for calling the vote on Wednesday, writing, “This is a classic bait-and-switch tactic that will infuriate my supporters who will find themselves deceived and disappointed again just one month before the election. The only way the SAVE Act becomes law is if we don't pass the CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law.”
She wrote that it would force a government shutdown on Oct. 1, “because Biden and Schumer are both staunchly opposed to the SAVE Act and have said they would shut down the government.”
“Johnson has no intention of standing up to Democrats in the fight over the shutdown and will allow a clean CR to pass to fund the government because he believes the shutdown is being blamed on Republicans and will hurt their elections,” Greene continued. “Johnson is leading a fake fight he has no intention of actually fighting.”
“Even if there is a government shutdown and all-out war until October, it will be too late for the SAVE Act to make a difference in this election because absentee ballots are already in the mail and early voting has begun. I'm not going to lie and say this plan will work. It's already DOA this week,” she said. “Speaker Johnson will need to rely on Democrats who have been working together all this time to gather the votes he needs to get done what he's already planned.”
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson's vote for the continuing resolution that included the SAVE Act, calling it “a classic Republican bait-and-switch tactic.” (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
“Congress cannot continue to put off the issues while our national debt soars, our borders remain open, and Biden and Kamala's radical agenda is fully funded,” wrote Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican from Montana. “I have always been, and always will be, totally opposed to continuing resolutions!”
Republicans say Schumer must act on voter citizenship bill if Democrats 'really care about democracy'
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who introduced the SAVE Act, on Tuesday blasted Republican lawmakers who are threatening to defect to Johnson's continuing resolution.
“Now, there will be a Government Funding Continued Resolution before the election. The only questions are when it will happen, how long it will last, and what will it accomplish regarding the #SAVEAct and the foreign vote. However, a few 'conservative' prophets are writing their own self-fulfilling script to achieve failure,” Roy wrote on X.
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) also pointed out that “Ohio, Virginia, Texas and other states have foreign nationals on their voter rolls, and some of them have voted.”
“The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to vote and ensure that non-citizens will be removed from the voter rolls, but Democrats want to shut down the government to stop it from passing,” Tiffany wrote on Tuesday.
The speaker may get some help from Democratic defectors: Five House Democrats left the party earlier this year to vote in favor of the SAVE Act.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks to reporters about the Protecting American Voter Eligibility Act at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump supports the SAVE Act.
But last week, the Republican presidential candidate told TRUTH Social, “If House and Senate Republicans cannot get absolute assurances about the security of our elections, then they should not move forward with any form of continuing budget resolution. Democrats are trying to 'stuff' our voter registrations with illegal immigrants. Don't let them do that. Stop them!!!”
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The CR until March means that discussions on the government budget will be taken up by a new White House and a new Congress, led by either President Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
