House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is pushing for Congress to vote on Wednesday on a plan to avert a government shutdown and force stricter U.S. election measures.
Johnson was forced to halt a vote on the bill last week after Republican support for it plummeted in the days since it was announced.
Multiple sources speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday said efforts by House Republican leaders over the weekend to woo GOP opponents had largely failed.
At least 12 Republicans are expected to vote against the bill, low expectations among Republicans because a majority is just four seats and Democratic opposition is expected to be broad.
Club for Growth pumps $5 million into close House race as Republicans brace for tough election
House Speaker Mike Johnson (center) is moving forward with the federal funding plan despite opposition from Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (left) and Thomas Massie (right). (Getty Images)
“So now we have a week to spend debating illegal immigration,” one House Republican told Fox News Digital in a text message. Asked if the bill would have been newsworthy if it had failed, they said, “At this point … we think so.”
“They're getting to the point where they basically have to say they're in charge of this drama,” said another Republican. “They called Republicans the Republican primary supporters, they got the Freedom Caucus to say 'Stop everything,' and now they're just waiting for the Senate to stonewall us.”
“There was no vote last week and we don't see that being the case this week,” they said.
Johnson himself said in a statement, “Congress has an obligation to do two things immediately: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure election security. We owe it to our voters, which is why I will be moving forward with a vote on the six-month CR Act, with the SAVE Act attached, on Wednesday.”
Rep. Johnson unveils pro-Trump House GOP plan to avoid government shutdown, prepares for battle with Schumer
However, the speaker enjoys widespread support from within the conference.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), policy chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, led the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is attached to the spending bill.
“Some nihilist Republicans would rather engineer failure and then complain than pass an imperfect bill that includes conservative policies,” he wrote on Tuesday.
Congressman Chip Roy (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Kentucky Republican Senator Andy Barr, a key ally of the leadership, told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo: “I stand with Speaker Johnson. He's absolutely right and the American people have our backs.”
Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to secure a fiscal 2025 budget or risk a partial government shutdown just weeks before Election Day. The House has passed fewer than half of the 12 needed spending bills, and the Senate has passed none.
Democrats and Republicans both agree that a short-term extension of this year's funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is needed to give negotiators more time.
But the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship in voter registration, is said to be impossible to get through in a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, and President Biden has already threatened to veto Johnson's plan.
McCarthy's “final stand” threatens to overshadow Johnson's shutdown fight
Meanwhile, national security hawks and leading Republican lawmakers are calling for shortening the CR until December, arguing that military readiness could be strained if budget levels remain unchanged through March.
Another problem for House Republican leadership is that most Republicans, including opponents of the bill, oppose CR in principle, arguing that it is an extension of ballooning federal spending levels.
Some lawmakers have expressed frustration at being forced to vote for a “message” bill that would not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Congressman Andy Barr (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“Chairman Johnson is fighting a false fight by adding shiny objects (that he will later abandon) to a bill that continues his destructive spending path. I will have no part in this disgraceful farce,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote to X.
“The only way we can make the SAVE Act law is to refuse to pass the CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden signs it into law,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote.
Click here to get the FOX News app
“This will force a government shutdown on October 1st…Johnson will not commit to 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 a government shutdown will be blamed on Republicans and hurt their elections.”
Making things even more difficult for Johnson is that he met with former President Trump the weekend after the assassination attempt.
President Trump has publicly supported the SAVE Act on his Truth Social platform, but has called on Republican lawmakers to push for a government shutdown if they don't receive “absolute assurances about the security of our elections.”
