Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on funding bill with proof of citizenship mandate despite dim prospects

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Tuesday to press ahead with requiring proof of citizenship for new voters as part of a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown in three weeks, though the measure appeared likely to be voted down. Enough Republicans were also coming out against the bill, though for different reasons, that its prospects of passing the House appeared dim. The House approved a bill with the proof of citizenship mandate back in July “If you have a few thousand illegals participate in the election in the wrong place, you can change the makeup of Congress and you can affect the presidential election,” Johnson said. They also want the proof of citizenship mandate stripped out of the bill, saying it’s unnecessary because states already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain accurate voter rolls. “Is it any surprise that the speaker’s purely partisan CR seems to be running into trouble?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, using Washington parlance for the short-term continuing resolution needed to prevent a shutdown. “I’m a firm no on bankrupting the nation and a yes on election integrity,” said Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., in announcing his opposition. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Republican leadership was asking him to vote for what he called “a Nancy Pelosi-Schumer budget.” “I just think that’s a bad idea,” Burchett said. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said on X that the continuing resolution was “an insult to Americans’ intelligence.” “The CR doesn’t cut spending, and the shiny object attached to it will be dropped like a hot potato before passage,” Massie said. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday seemingly encouraged a government shutdown if Republicans in the House and Senate “don’t get assurances on Election Security.” He said on the social media platform Truth Social that they should not go forward with a continuing resolution without such assurances. “Shutting down the government is always a bad idea, no matter what time of the year it is,” McConnell said. Rep. Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told colleagues “this is the best fight we’ve ever had,” said Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. By holding another vote on the proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration, House Republicans are making Democrats in competitive swing districts take another vote on the issue ahead of the election. “This is important to him,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “This is the hill to die on.” As lawmakers debated the short-term spending measure on the House floor, the focus was almost entirely on the proof of citizenship mandate, also referred to as the SAVE Act. “What are you afraid of to require someone to prove who they say that they are?” said Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y. Democrats countered that the proof of citizenship requirement would disenfranchise many Americans who don’t have the required documents readily available when they get an opportunity to register to vote. “Let me be clear, the SAVE Act is not about targeting undocumented immigrants, it’s about suppressing the vote of millions of American citizens,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://apnews.com/e308f980aeb0c6d1dd483bdd6bbdf561