House Republicans introduce bill to avoid shutdown, while Senate Democrats say they are wasting time

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans introduced a bill Friday aimed at averting a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and ensuring the government is funded through the end of March, when the new president and Congress will make a final decision on agency spending and priorities for fiscal year 2025.

Republicans are also adding a hot-button immigration issue to the measure by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when someone registers to vote. Including a citizenship requirement is a no-go in the Senate, complicating the bill’s prospects for passage.

Lawmakers return to Washington next week after a traditional August recess spent mostly in their states and districts. They are not close to completing work on a dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund agencies through the next fiscal year, so they will need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

“Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and our federal election process safe,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only the American people have the power to decide American elections.”

But in a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray said a bipartisan agreement, not a single-party bill, was needed to avoid a government shutdown.

“If Speaker Johnson pushes House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the likelihood of a government shutdown will greatly increase, and the American people will know that the responsibility for a government shutdown will fall on House Republicans,” Schumer and Murray said.

Johnson’s decision to add a citizenship requirement to the spending measure comes after the House Freedom Caucus called for it in a position statement last month. The conservative group, counting on a victory for Republican candidate Donald Trump, also urged the measure to fund the government through early next year so Republicans can get more of their priorities into the legislation.

Some GOP leaders have wanted to pass final spending bills before the end of the congressional term so that the new president, whether Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, can focus more on filling offices and advancing her own priorities rather than resolving spending disputes.

Republicans argue that requiring proof of citizenship would ensure that U.S. elections are open only to American citizens, increasing confidence in the country’s federal election system. But opponents say available evidence shows that noncitizens voting in federal elections is extremely rare, and such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have the necessary documents readily available when they have the chance to register.

The question remains what will happen if the bill passes the House of Representatives this week and the Senate refuses to consider it or rejects it.

The bill funds the agency at current levels through March 28, though it also includes money to cover additional security costs related to Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster fund.

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