Proof-of-citizenship voting bill looms over stopgap funding bill - McConnell plays 'usual suspect' role

An upcoming government funding deadline is ramping up tensions among Republicans as some push for a proof-of-citizenship voting bill to be attached to any stopgap measure.

While there is bipartisan agreement that there will likely need to be a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded past Sept. 30, House conservatives and a Democrat-led Senate are headed for a showdown amid efforts on both sides regarding barring noncitizens from voting. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s name is being reported as being against adding the stricter voting requirement measure to the funding bill.

“McConnell staffers have urged conservatives in the Senate and the House to keep the precedent of passing clean short-term-funding bills and argued that using a potential shutdown to try to score political points is dangerous before the election, sources said,” according to Axios.

“Their involvement in this latest push shows he’s not taking a back seat in high-level negotiations even though he plans to step down as leader after the election,” the outlet added.

Liberals and the media say we don’t need the SAVE Act because it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote. Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean it won’t happen. We need to make sure the SAVE Act is attached to any government funding passed in September. https://t.co/0UPL0WAzhA

— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) August 26, 2024

The conservative House Freedom Caucus has reportedly pressed GOP leadership to add the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) to the spending bill next month as the Oct. 1 funding deadline looms.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has expressed his support for the measure and willingness to connect the two, telling reporters on Tuesday that he is “looking for every way to push the SAVE Act and to get it through the Senate.”

A small step in the right direction, but we must do more to ensure ONLY Americans vote in American elections.

The House passed the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

The Senate should take it up immediately. https://t.co/pgfjgoPMYr

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) August 22, 2024

“I can verify for you, that the SAVE Act is a big part of this conversation,” Johnson said on a press call last week, according to The Hill. “And it is not just the Freedom Caucus. It is members across the conference who share the same concern that we do about this, and we believe it’s one of the – perhaps the most urgent issue, the most imminent threat facing the country is the integrity of this election cycle.”

But even if Johnson succeeds in attaching the DAVE Act to the spending bill, most agree it would be dead on arrival once it lands in the Democrat-controlled Senate. President Joe Biden has already noted that he “strongly opposes” it.

“We’re talking about a simple concept that only citizens should vote in a world in which they’ve opened up our country to non-citizens,” Rep. Roy said.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) expressed his doubts and remarked on the “convoluted” stopgap government funding efforts.

“Look, my problem is a CR just keeps the same spending in place. You either end up with an omnibus. Some people want to do a full-year CR,” he said. “Why don’t we just actually do the budget bills? … The whole thing is so convoluted, messed up, and crazy.”

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Frieda Powers

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.

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