Speaker Johnson controls Trump and a narrow majority in the fight for state financing

Washington
CNN
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House Speaker Mike Johnson once again faces a major challenge: waging a battle for government funding while under pressure from a narrow House majority and former President Donald Trump.

Congress must initiate a shutdown at the end of the month, but so far there is no clear consensus on how to proceed. The urgency is heightened by the fact that beleaguered lawmakers want to move as quickly as possible to the final stretch before the November election and the danger that a shutdown could lead to negative election results. The course the speaker takes could also determine whether he can keep his leadership post after the election.

Trump has also waded into the fight over funding, a dynamic that could further complicate efforts to avert a shutdown. The Republican presidential nominee has said that unless Republicans receive “absolute assurances” about election security, they should not pass a funding extension. The move comes as Trump continues to sow doubts about election integrity ahead of the 2024 election.

If Trump insists on his demand, it could become even more difficult for Congress to ultimately pass a “clean” extension of the budget. In the US Congress, this is widely seen as the only viable way to avert a shutdown.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has pushed a six-month funding plan that includes the SAVE Act, a controversial Republican-led bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. But the plan is considered hopeless in the Senate and faces opposition from within the House Republican conference.

While the spokesman stressed that he agreed with Trump, given such a narrow majority in the House of Representatives and the fact that Democrats control the Senate, Trump has limited options and little room for error.

Johnson withdrew a vote on the Republican funding plan last week after at least eight Republicans publicly opposed it, enough to kill the bill along with Democratic opposition in the House.

“Congress has many responsibilities, but above all it has two obligations: to fund the government responsibly and to ensure that our elections are free, fair and secure. That is what we are working on,” Johnson told reporters as he announced the vote would be overturned. “We will keep working on it. The Whip will do the hard work and build consensus. That is what we will be working on all weekend.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said last week that Johnson was “not getting anywhere” in his attempt to push through a funding package without Democratic support.

“We need a bipartisan bill where everyone comes together and thinks about what to do,” Schumer said. “You saw the chaos in the House because Speaker Johnson is trying to do this in a partisan way, guided by the far right. He's not getting anywhere.”

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, warned Monday that the Republicans' proposal for a six-month extension of funding – a so-called Continuing Resolution, or CR – would be “catastrophic.”

“I firmly believe that we should not wait until March to carry out the CR. That would have catastrophic consequences for our national defense and would put every agency and ministry in trouble,” she told reporters.

“I also believe that no matter who wins, the new government will have to start with a clean slate and not deal with problems that date back to October 1.”

Collins warned that Congress is running out of time to prevent a shutdown. “I'm very concerned. I don't think anyone wants a shutdown, but we could slide into a shutdown if we don't do the job,” she said.

However, with the November elections dominating the political landscape, reaching a bipartisan solution may become even more difficult.

Schumer has announced that the Senate will vote again on a bill on artificial insemination. The same bill failed in June due to widespread opposition from Republicans. In addition, Trump announced in August that as president he would introduce a law that would cover the costs of artificial insemination treatments, but did not provide any details on how the treatments would be paid for.

“Republicans cannot claim to be pro-family only to block IVF protections,” Schumer said. “The American people deserve another chance to see whether Republicans are for or against access to IVF.”

This story has been updated with further developments.

CNN's Ted Barrett, Lauren Fox and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.