WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Despite pushback from both sides of the aisle, Tuesday House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged to push forward a six-month government funding plan that includes a provision outlawing undocumented immigrants from voting.
House Republicans held their first leadership press conference in weeks and Johnson argued the provision, better known as the SAVE Act, is necessary to ensure a fair election in states with lax voter ID laws.
Democrats oppose the election year bill because it is already illegal for undocumented immigrants to vote in U.S. elections., a reality Johnson acknowledged Tuesday.
“They say it’s not really a problem, Democrats, it’s already against federal law, it is against federal law but so is minors buying alcohol, but we still require identification,” Johnson told reporters.
On the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on House Republicans to “stop wasting time” and work with Democrats to pass a bipartisan deal to keep the government open. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would not share his thoughts on the speaker’s strategy but told reporters Tuesday a government shutdown is “always a bad idea.”
Johnson is teeing up a vote for Wednesday. It’s unclear if the current plan has enough GOP support to pass the Republican-controlled House. As of Tuesday, at least six House Republicans openly opposed the plan’s price tag. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) says he wishes Speaker Johnson would focus on “fiscal responsibility” instead of pushing the SAVE Act.
“We already did that, Schumer’s not going to do anything to it,” said Burchett.
The vast majority of House Republicans are backing Johnson’s strategy but admit the bill is doomed. Following a closed-door GOP caucus meeting, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said it’s important to spotlight the issue of voter integrity ahead of the November election. Bacon says he’s confident in the end Johnson will strike a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30.