House Republicans have introduced a bill to prevent a partial government shutdown and fund the government into late March, allowing the new president and Congress to decide on agency spending and priorities for fiscal year 2025.
The bill includes a provision requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when individuals register to vote, which has sparked controversy and complicates prospects for the bill’s passage.
The big picture: Lawmakers need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on October 1, as they are not close to completing work on the annual appropriations bills that fund the agencies for the next fiscal year.
- The bill also proposes funding government agencies at current levels until March 28, with additional funding allocated for security costs associated with Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.
What they’re saying: “Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” said Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray said in a joint statement that avoiding a shutdown requires bipartisan support.
- “If Speaker Johnson drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the House Republicans’ hands,” Schumer and Murray said.
