US lawmakers fail to pass funding plan to avert shutdown
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Congress needs a stopgap bill to keep the government running past November's presidential election, but the parties are nowhere near agreement on a full-year budget.
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The chamber of the House of Representatives is seen before convening for the first day of the 116th Congress with Democrats holding the majority, at the Capitol in Washington, on January 3, 2019. (AP)
On Wednesday, US lawmakers rejected a Republican-led government funding proposal due to internal party divisions, while former President Donald Trump urged a forced shutdown unless specific demands are fulfilled.
With government funding set to run out by the end of September, the bill was defeated in a 220-202 vote, as some House Republicans sided with Democrats in opposition.
Congress must pass a stopgap "continuing resolution" to maintain government funding beyond November's presidential election, but the parties are still far from agreeing on a full-year budget.
The six-month extension proposed on Wednesday would have pushed the shutdown deadline to March 2025, by which time the next president would already be in office.
The draft also included the SAVE Act, a measure backed by Trump that mandates proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. However, US President Joe Biden's administration opposes the act, expressing concerns that it could prevent eligible voters from being added to voter rolls or discourage them from voting.
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The administration highlighted that noncitizen voting is already illegal and that there is no evidence of it occurring. "If Republicans don't get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form," Trump said on Truth Social ahead of the vote.
A government shutdown would lead to the closure of federal agencies and national parks, restrict public services, and furlough millions of workers without pay, all just weeks before the election.
That said, Trump, who wields considerable influence over many House Republicans, continues to claim that he was cheated in the 2020 election due to voter fraud. He lobbied Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to include the election measure in the funding package.
Johnson canceled the vote on the funding plan last week as it became increasingly clear that it was unpopular with members of his party.
In a statement on Wednesday, House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro said: "Once again, the House Republican majority has failed at its most basic tasks."
"We have seven legislative days to keep the government open," DeLauro added
