House Republicans unveil bill to avert partial government shutdown, but Senate Democrats say it’s nonstarter

House Republicans on Friday unveiled legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and fund the government until March 28, when a new president and Congress would be able to decide agency spending and priorities for the 2025 fiscal year.

However, Republicans added a contentious immigration issue to the short-term spending bill, requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when people register to vote. Inclusion of the citizenship requirement is a nonstarter in the Senate, complicating prospects for the spending bill’s passage.

At least one Republican, conservative Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, indicated he opposed the measure.  And the bill is not supported by House Democrats, who favor a shorter-term bill.

The Rules Committee plans to take up the temporary funding bill — known as a continuing resolution — on Monday, which could tee up a floor vote next week. 

Lawmakers are returning to Washington next week after their August recess. A stopgap spending measure will be needed to keep the government running after the end of September because they’re not close to completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that fund the agencies during the next fiscal year.

“Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.”

But in a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray said avoiding a shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party.

“If Speaker Johnson drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the House Republicans’ hands,” Schumer and Murray said.

Johnson’s decision to add the proof of citizenship requirement to the spending measure comes after the House Freedom Caucus called for it in a position statement last month. The group of conservatives, banking on a win by Republican nominee Donald Trump, also urged that the measure fund the government into early next year so Republicans could get more of their priorities in legislation.

Some GOP leaders had wanted to pass the final spending bills by the end of this Congress so that the new president, whether it be Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, could focus more on getting staffed and pursuing their own top priorities rather than dealing with spending disagreements.

The bill would fund agencies at current levels until March 28, though there’s also money to help cover additional security costs associated with Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.

Ellis Kim

contributed to this report.