By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R- LA) unveiled a limited continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government for the next three months. The bill also would provide more dollars for the U.S. Secret Service.
The new plan comes less than a week after the House rejected Speaker Johnson’s six-month funding proposal that included the controversial SAVE Act, legislation that requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections.
Democrats have been very critical of the SAVE Act, calling it unserious in recent weeks. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, but Republicans who support the measure say more has to be done to ensure free and fair elections.
The SAVE Act is backed by former President Donald Trump. Last Wednesday, Trump said “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,” on the social media platform Truth Social.
Despite the encouragement by Trump for Republicans to avoid a clean CR, meaning one without the SAVE Act, experts say a clean spending plan was inevitable this close to the election.
“It is true that members of the House were experiencing a lot of pressure from Donald Trump to get this SAVE Act attached to it, but they knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere in the Senate,” said Dr. Todd Belt, Professor and Director of the Political Management Master’s Program at George Washington University. “Because of that, they had to get something passed because they didn’t want to shut down the government in the middle of an election campaign and that usually redounds the blame on to the Republicans who are in control of the House,” he added.
The new funding measure includes over $230 million for the Secret Service for protective operations including the 2024 Presidential Campaign and national special security events.
The plan would keep the federal government funded at current levels through December 20 and give lawmakers more time to work on unfinished full-year funding bills.
A vote on the spending plan is expected mid-week.
