Sept. 17 (UPI) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., intends to hold a joint vote on a short-term funding measure to prevent a federal shutdown and tie it to the proposed SAVE Act on Wednesday.
The funding measure would prevent a government shutdown at the end of September while the SAVE Act would help secure the integrity of U.S. elections by requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote — even though current law already requires U.S. citizenship for voting.
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said Wednesday in a prepared statement.
“Because we owe this to our constituents, we will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the six-month [continuing resolution] with the SAVE Act attached,” Johnson said.
He said he the “overwhelming majority” of U.S. citizens “rightfully demand and deserve” to prevent non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections.
The SAVE Act would target illegal voting in the United States, such as registering non-citizens to vote in Washington state and other states, when obtaining a drivers license or state-issued identification card without affirming their citizenship status.
The SAVE Act would require states to obtain proof of citizenship before registering people to vote, and it threatens jail time for election workers who enroll non-citizens to vote.
Critics of the measure, which was introduced into the chamber by far-right Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, say it introduces an unneeded obstacle to voting and places hardships on disenfranchised voters who might not be able to obtain required documents. They also say the measure is ideal for calling into question the results of the 2024 presidential election if former President Donald Trump does not win.
President Joe Biden has promised to veto measure if given the chance.
Johnson said the continuing resolution and SAVE Act would be bundled together for a House vote after tabling the enabling bills last week amid opposition from some House Republicans along with House and Senate Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the measures would be dead on arrival in the Senate, which would have to propose its own temporary funding measure to keep the federal government open through the Nov. 5 general election.
Many GOP senators said they would work with Senate Democrats to pass a funding measure to prevent a shutdown.
“It’s becoming a mess, especially our military,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. “Even it you do a CR, you know they don’t get the money they’d normally get.”
Tuberville called the stalled funding measure a “debacle.”
Schumer said Johnson has through Thursday to work through the legislative impasse before the Senate undertakes its own funding bill to prevent a federal shutdown.
Ten House Republicans and virtually all House Democrats oppose the proposed House measures.
GOP House members in vulnerable seats said approving the SAVE Act would jeopardize their re-election chances while others generally oppose short-term funding and its potential effect on national defense.