Government shutdown threat looms over Congress’ return

After a protracted August break, lawmakers will reconvene on Capitol Hill on Monday to begin a government budget battle that has only three weeks to avoid a shutdown.

Amid the mad rush leading up to election day, Congress has until October 1 to fund the government. Additionally, because of the shortened schedule, Congress will most likely need to approve a temporary bill to maintain government financing, delaying the full-year funding attempt until later.

With a strategy to fight for a continuing resolution to keep the government funded until March 28 while adding a non-citizen voting bill that Democrats largely perceive as a nonstarter, House Republicans started talking seriously about their opening salvo in the funding discussions last week. Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with House Republicans about the proposal during

The move to couple the SAVE Act — a House-passed measure aimed at targeting illegal voting that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections — came after the House Freedom Caucus made it their official position heading into the spending fight. Republicans have highlighted the issue in recent months despite only U.S. citizens being eligible to vote in federal elections.

Johnson said the move represented a “critically important step” to fund the government and “secure our federal election process,” adding in a statement that “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.” The House could vote on the measure as soon as Wednesday. But it’s passage is uncertain, even in the lower chamber.

Five Democrats voted with the slim Republican majority to approve the voting measure in July. But it’s not expected to go over well with the party more broadly.

The White House “strongly opposes” the measure, arguing that it wouldn’t safeguard elections but will make it harder for Americans to register to vote.

And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democratic appropriator in the Senate, urged in a joint statement that “avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship,” criticizing the GOP opening gambit.