Is America Headed Towards a Government Shutdown?

The Federal Government is fully funded until September 30, but would be forced to shutdown on October 1. Speaker Mike Johnson is already working towards getting the government funded, but will need cooperation from Democrats and all Republicans.

The Stopgap measure would hopefully include a bill to require citizenship proof to vote. Democrats are expected to fight this, though their justification is strange unless they wanted non-citizens to vote. Politico says:

Speaker Mike Johnson’s stopgap spending plan is slated to clear its first test Monday, but its fate on the House floor is still far from certain.

The chamber’s Rules Committee kicked off a meeting Monday afternoon to prepare to send the funding bill to the House floor, likely on Wednesday. The legislation would punt a government shutdown deadline, currently scheduled to hit on Oct. 1, into the end of March, and includes a conservative-favored bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The measure would fund the government until March 28, meaning the next President would have to renegotiate shortly after. NBC News continues:

The single biggest task for Congress is to fund the government by the Sept. 30 deadline. It’s a forgone conclusion that lawmakers will need a stopgap bill to keep the government open past the election — they are nowhere close to agreement on a full-year funding measure. But the details and length of the bill are a source of consternation.

Under pressure from Trump and right-wing members, the Republican-led House released a stopgap bill that would keep money flowing through March 28 and tie it to the SAVE Act, a GOP-led bill to overhaul voting laws nationwide by requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Democrats oppose the latter measure, noting that it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote, with hefty penalties that make the practice very rare. They also say it could deter Americans from voting, as many lack easy access to passports or birth certificates.

Securing election is key for a fair outcome that Americans can rally behind. Proof of identification and citizenship is essential for everyday business, and Americans should be helped to acquire such an ID.

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