Speaker Johnson is determined to vote on the budget bill despite opposition from Democrats because proof of citizenship is required

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal to link federal government funding for the new fiscal year to a requirement that states require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

Johnson withdrew the bill from discussion last week and said he would work over the weekend to build consensus for it within Republican ranks. It's unclear whether he succeeded, as some GOP members have concerns about maintaining current spending levels, but Johnson said he was committed to holding the vote anyway. Democrats, meanwhile, overwhelmingly oppose the measure.

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Requiring new voters to show proof of citizenship has become a top priority for Republicans this election year, stoking fears that noncitizens might vote in the U.S., even though it is already illegal and studies have shown that this type of voting is rare.

“I call on all my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of the people of this country rightly demand and deserve – namely, to prevent non-Americans from participating in American elections,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

Johnson told reporters he was not prepared to discuss an alternative plan to maintain government funding beyond what would be presented to the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“I'm not having alternative conversations. This is the game. It's an important one. And I'm going to work around the clock to get it done,” Johnson said.

MPs also said Johnson would not discuss alternatives with them if the bill failed.

“There is no Plan B,” said Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida.

MEPs are far from completing work on the 12 annual budget bills that will fund the authorities in the coming financial year, so they must agree to a stopgap measure to avoid a partial shutdown when the new financial year begins on 1 October.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the only way to avoid a government shutdown is for both sides to work together to reach an agreement. He said the House vote Johnson had announced was doomed to fail.

“The only thing we're going to accomplish is make it clear that it's a dead end,” Schumer said. “We need a bipartisan plan instead.”

The bill would fund the agencies at current levels while lawmakers work out their differences on an agreement on full-year spending.

Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for a short extension. A temporary solution would allow the current Congress to draft a final bill after the election and send it to Democratic President Joe Biden for his signature.

But Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are pushing for a six-month extension in the hope that Republican candidate Donald Trump will win the election and give them more influence in drafting the law for the full year.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declined to comment on how long the funding would be extended, saying Schumer and Johnson would ultimately have to work out a final agreement that could pass both chambers.

“The only thing we cannot tolerate is a government shutdown. It would be politically foolish if we did that so close to the election, because we would certainly be blamed,” McConnell said.

On Sunday, Johnson traveled to Florida to meet with Trump. Trump had previously apparently called for a government shutdown if Republicans “don't receive assurances about election security.” Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social that they should not pass a stopgap bill without such assurances.

The House of Representatives already passed a bill to require citizenship verification in July, and some Republicans who see the issue as popular with their constituents are pushing for another chance to show their support for the measure.