Congressional lawmakers are unable to finalize the government funding bill needed to keep the US federal government afloat starting from October 1, sparking concerns that the government could be shut down just one month before the November 5 presidential race.
With a GOP-controlled House and a Democratic-controlled Senate, any funding package must enjoy bipartisan support to stand a chance in Congress.
The Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson, finalized a funding proposal and included an election integrity provision that would bar noncitizens from voting in the November elections. To fund the government, Johnson wants to introduce the Continuing Resolution (CR), which would maintain the current funding of the federal government until March next year. However, he failed to get enough support from his party, leading him to postpone the vote.
While introducing his proposal, Johnson stated that Congress is responsible for passing the funding and protecting US elections, so he aimed to accomplish both in a single bill.
House Democrats labeled Johnson’s proposal an election-year tactic and slammed him for delaying the government funding.
Although Johnson’s proposal has the backing of an overwhelming majority of House Republicans and even GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump, a small group of Republican lawmakers oppose it, which would essentially kill the bill in its original form. For Republicans, the Democratic-controlled Senate is another hurdle, as this bill is unlikely to pass the upper chamber.
Some Republicans are also accusing their party of delaying the funding package. According to GOP Congressman Chip Roy, Republicans can either do their “usual claptrap” or work to avert the shutdown. Roy is the lead sponsor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which seeks to allow only US citizens to vote in the elections, a provision Johnson is trying to tie to the funding package.
A growing number of bipartisan lawmakers are also worried that they cannot pass Johnson’s CR package. It would essentially burden the upcoming Congress, where many new lawmakers will be pushed to deal with the complex funding process just two months after their inauguration.
Meanwhile, Democrats believe that Republican leadership is unwilling to compromise on their hardline agenda, which is blocking a bipartisan funding bill.
Shalanda Young, Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget, claimed that the GOP CR proposal ignores the country’s immediate funding needs as she urged Republicans to work with lawmakers across the aisle to pass emergency funding.
Young’s office has previously warned that American military veterans risk losing some of their benefit payments if Congress does not pass emergency funds before September 20.
Despite the current uncertainty, Congress is still likely to pass the bill before the October 1 deadline, as lawmakers seeking re-election are eager to return to their home states to lead their respective election campaigns.
