Johnson delays spending vote on stopgap funding bill

Republican leadership on Wednesday pulled a stopgap funding bill hours ahead of a scheduled vote where it seemed likely to fail. The bill would have extended current levels of government funding through March 2025 and implemented stronger voter registration requirements. The bill struggled to gather the needed votes, facing opposition from Democrats and a handful of conservative lawmakers.

In introducing the bill on Friday, GOP leaders in the chamber tied the stopgap funding to election security legislation, called the Safeguard Voter Eligibility Act

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called off the vote, citing a need for greater unity within Republican ranks. “I want any member of Congress in either party to explain to the American people why we should not ensure that only US citizens are voting in US elections. We’re going to work on that issue. No vote today. We’re in the consensus building business here in Congress. With small majorities, that's what you do,” Johnson said.

His decision came as Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., left the Capitol Tuesday evening after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. He is being hospitalized in Washington, according to a statement on his official X account. Wilson’s absence further slims the Republican majority to just three seats.

At least five Republicans have said they are against the combined bills, giving Johnson little chance to pass the package on Wednesday. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Cory Mills, R-Fl., for instance, opposed the bill because they held that additional spending should be cut.

What were the voter registration requirements included in the bill? The continuing resolution would have included the text from the SAVE Act, which would require states to verify proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

Critics of the bill argue that it’s already illegal for non-citizens to participate in federal elections, a fact they believe makes the SAVE act unnecessary. Proponents counter that there is little states can do to enforce the standard under current law. Specifically, the SAVE Act aims to change provisions of the Motor Voter Registration Act which requires information provided in driver’s license applications to double as federal voter registration. Because driver applicants can simply attest to their citizenship status by checking a box, Republicans fear that there is ample opportunity for misuse.

Without additional funding, government appropriations will run dry by the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. Doing so could lead to a partial government shutdown less than two months from a presidential election.

Dig deeper: Read my reporting on the specifics of the SAVE act and what lawmakers had to say about it.