House Republicans have overwhelmingly rejected former President Trump's calls to shut down the government over the lack of citizenship voting legislation, a public departure from the Republican presidential candidate ahead of the November election.
Republican lawmakers this week killed a combination of a six-month continuing resolution and a Trump-backed voting bill, scuttling the bill and derailing House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) fundraising strategy.
Now the speaker is preparing to go against President Trump's wishes and hold a vote on a “clean” three-month stopgap measure, which Republicans are expected to support. — Republicans have balked at the former president's request. Republicans almost universally support voting bills but say pushing the issue too hard and leading to a government shutdown would be counterproductive for the party.
“Everybody wants to go home and campaign, and some of them, especially those in tough races, want to go home and campaign,” said Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Alabama).
The Alabama Republican, who currently serves as policy chairman for the House Republican Conference, also cited national security concerns.
“A government shutdown would embolden our adversaries and further erode trust and respect among our allies,” Palmer said. “So I think a shutdown is not good for anyone.”
Trump has been urging House Republicans for weeks to pair a government budget with a conservative voting bill, a demand Johnson echoed at the start of government budget talks.
But the former president stepped up his demands last week, calling on Republicans to shut down the government if they can't provide “absolute guarantees about the security of our elections” – and he reiterated that position on Wednesday, hours before the House rejected a six-month stopgap measure plus the SAVE Act.
“If Republicans are not going to approve the SAVE Act in its entirety, then they should not agree to a continuing resolution in any form,” Trump said. Posted on Truth SocialShe added: “Republicans, smarten up. You've been fooled by the Democrats for long enough. Don't let it happen again. Remember, this is Biden/Harris' fault, not yours!”
Trump's plea contrasted with the strategy of Republican lawmakers, who saw the CR+SAVE Act as an initial proposal and a way to capitalize on Trump's past false claims of election rigging and repeated skepticism about the voting system, but knew it wouldn't prevent a government shutdown.
Even if the House had passed the bill, the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House would never have accepted it, noting that voting by foreign nationals is already illegal and expressing concern about burdening voters.
Republicans believe they, not Democrats, are to blame for the shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for example, said that a government shutdown at this point would be “politically stupid” and predicted that Republicans were to blame for allowing the lights to go out in Washington.
House Republicans echo this sentiment.
“I'm not sure a shutdown right now is really going to help our goal of maintaining our majority and winning the White House,” said Rep. Kevin Hahn (R-Okla.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the House's largest conservative caucus.
Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), subchairman of the House Appropriations Committee, offered a similar sentiment, focusing on the looming election.
“Shutting down the government in the middle of this process is not a good idea for any of the people involved, certainly not for the government, certainly not for the momentum heading into the election,” Joyce said. “I think it's important that we stay open, get through this election and make a decision in November and December.”
Still, Trump's assertions complicate Republicans' path to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month as House Republican leaders move toward Plan B: a clean, short-term stopgap until December.
Johnson now finds himself in the delicate position of having to meet the expectations of the former president, with whom he maintains a good relationship, and who would likely need his support to remain speaker next year if Republicans win the House.
The House Speaker discussed the current fight over government funding with President Trump, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, and the conversation was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Speaker Johnson met with President Trump in Washington on Thursday night, their second meeting in a week. Speaker Johnson did not provide details of the meeting but said the former president “understands” the situation House Republicans are currently in.
“I've had many conversations with President Trump and I won't divulge everything, but he understands the situation we're in and he's committed to making election security his number one priority,” Johnson told reporters on Friday. “I agree, and that's why I've introduced the SAVE Act to Congress.”
“We want to make sure that everyone understands that it is illegal for foreign nationals to vote,” he continued, “and we will enforce that at every opportunity. We will use every tool that comes out of this chamber and every platform that we have to get that message across loud and clear.”
Meanwhile, Johnson's office continues to push out messages about the SAVE Act vote. He noted that 206 House Democrats voted against the bill.A bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Posted a photoPresident Trump's true social message read, “If you vote illegally, you will go to jail.”
Asked about President Trump's request for a government shutdown and possible budget shortfalls, the speaker sought to ease concerns.
In an interview with CNBC on the Wednesday before the six-month CR vote was defeated, Johnson said “nobody needs to worry” about a shutdown. Speaking on Fox News the same day after the vote was defeated, Johnson said, “I don't think we're going to get shut down. I believe we can get this job done.”
But not all Republicans are opposed to a government shutdown, and some fiscal hawks wish the speaker had used the threat of a government shutdown as a real tool to force Democrats to swallow the SAVE Act.
“He still has an aversion to any shutdown,” Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina said of Johnson. “Trump talks about a shutdown. And it hasn't happened. We're going to have to fight at some point.”
Norman added that he “doesn't believe” the government shutdown would intimidate House Republicans.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a lead sponsor of the SAVE Act and a strong advocate of combining the bill with stopgap measures, also said Republicans should not hesitate to shut down the government.
“Everybody knows I'm not averse to fighting a government shutdown to put to the test the question of whether we can properly fund our government — cut spending and make sure only the people have a vote,” said Roy, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. “I'm happy to do that, but I need the votes to do it.”
But those most involved in the complexities of government funding strongly disagree.
“A government shutdown is unacceptable,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), the other appropriations chief. “A government shutdown would have devastating consequences for our national defense and our economy.”
