Senate Republicans on Monday gave a lukewarm reception to House Republicans' government funding plan, questioning whether it would slow progress in finding a solution to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month.
They acknowledge that the inclusion of a Trump-backed measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote could complicate the trajectory of the stopgap funding bill, and many are particularly unhappy with the six-month timeline of the continuing resolution (CR).
House Republicans are expected to fast-track the bill, which would extend the current Sept. 30 funding deadline to March and also includes the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Conservatives are optimistic that former President Trump will return to the White House next year and argue the proposal would give the next president more influence over how the government is funded through the fall of 2025.
Conservative Republicans in the Senate support the plan, but others in the GOP worry it comes too close to a government shutdown and say six months is simply too long.
“There is some discussion that it should be postponed until next year, [on the other side]”We'll see what happens in November and then,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican senator who is running for party leadership next year. [the incoming president] “What do you want to achieve by the end of the year and what do you want to push forward into next year?”
“It's fluid,” Thune continued, “and my views will be somewhat influenced and shaped by the outcome of the election and what my colleagues see as the best course of action.”
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke out against a stopgap measure that would extend beyond December. The New York Times On the weekend.
“Either way, there will be a new administration. The new administration should be able to focus on the new budget year, rather than dealing with issues related to the fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he had no objection to the SAVE Act being included in the bill.
But he said Monday he thinks “six months is a long time.”
“I'm in favor of something that keeps the CR deadline to the shortest possible time, still allows us time to get our work done and avoids an omnibus bill,” Moran said, referring to a massive bill that would combine all 12 years of funding bills together, typically at the end of the year.
“It's probably longer than a few weeks, but six months is a little long. So we're looking for a time frame to actually get the job done without any further extensions or additional CRs, that gives us time to work out the differences, particularly between the House and the Senate, and actually craft a budget proposal.”
Democratic leaders rejected the plan outright in the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York implicitly criticized the SAVE Act's inclusion in this week's House bill, saying the spending push must avoid “poison pills and Republican extremism.”
“Democrats support a CR to avoid a government shutdown. As we have said before, the only way to get things done is through a bipartisan effort. Despite Republican rhetoric, we have worked through every budget bill in a bipartisan manner to date, and this will be no exception,” Schumer said in a letter to Senate Democrats on Sunday. “We will not allow funding for vital programs to be jeopardized by poison pills or Republican extremism.”
The White House also sounded the alarm Monday morning, vowing to veto the bill if it were to reach the president's desk in the unlikely event that it does, arguing that it would “keep both defense and non-defense agencies at an inadequately low level for six full months.”
At this point, it's unclear whether the bill will pass the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana)'s decision to include the SAVE Act and extend the CR to six months has garnered support from many conservatives who normally oppose stopgap measures, but Republican opposition was widespread and appears to be growing Monday night.
But with Republicans focusing on immigration, the border and other issues in the months leading up to the November election, attention is focused on how some House Democrats who previously supported the bill on a bipartisan basis will react to the temporary proposal.
Many Senate Republicans on Monday supported including the SAVE Act but expressed caution.
The bill passed the House of Representatives largely along party lines earlier this year, but many Democrats denounced the measure, noting that it is already a crime for foreign nationals to vote in federal elections and arguing that the bill could make it even harder to register to vote.
Supporters of the bill argue that by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship to register to vote and by requiring states to remove non-citizens from their voter rolls, it would ensure that only citizens can vote in federal elections.
“I think it's important to make sure illegal immigrants don't vote, and the American people need to know which party is on which side,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the third-ranking Republican, adding that he supports the House effort.
But he believes the House's efforts this week will make it harder to pass a CR deal after all.
“I want to make sure that the government doesn't shut down,” Barrasso said. “I've always hoped that that would happen, that the funding would be secured and that the government wouldn't shut down.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), another leading candidate to replace Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the head of the caucus, also voiced his support for the SAVE Act and Johnson's plan, saying it was the right move to do whatever it took to win the support of House Republicans.
“Johnson needs to do what he needs to do in the House, and we'll fight that fight here,” Cornyn said, refusing to take a position on the length of Johnson's proposed CR. “I just think there are pros and cons on both sides.”
