Following a 220-202 vote, the US House of Representatives denied Mike Johnson’s proposal for mandatory proof of citizenship for voter registration in connection with temporary funding for the federal government. 14 Republicans and most of the Democrats were against the bill.
Lawmakers are still occupied with the annual appropriations bills that provide funding for federal agencies for the next fiscal year, thus, they would likely have to pass a resolution on the makeshift measure to avoid shutdown as the budget year commences on October 1. Johnson was unable to justify the spending levels objected by several members while others neither favored the continuing resolution, demanding Congress to promptly resume work on the annual appropriations bills.
Johnson, disappointed with the vote outcome, promised to come up with another plan and said to already be discussing the matter with his colleagues.
Proof of citizenship became a top priority for this year’s election. Even though it’s obviously illegal, research still showed several cases of noncitizens voting in the US. The opponents to this issue claimed that the requirement would ‘disenfranchise’ millions of Americans without a birth certificate or passport available when they register to vote. However, Johnson viewed such an issue as a severe problem because even a small percentage of noncitizens can determine the outcome of a vote.
Donald Trump seemed to encourage a partial government shutdown unless the proof of citizenship is mandated, citing the SAVE Act to his fellow House Republicans.
“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,” posted Trump on his Truth social platform.
Meanwhile, House Democrats denounced the proof of citizenship mandate and disagreed on such a mandate being part of a bill to fund the government.
“This is Republican theatrics that are meant to appease the most extreme members of their conference, to show them that they are working on something and that they’re continuing to support the former president of the United States in his bid to demonize immigrants,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar.
The House previously passed a bill in July containing a mandate for proof of citizenship. Several Republicans, seeing the issue as popular among their constituents, are advocating for another opportunity to showcase their support.
Republican Representative Robert Aderholt pointed out that the recently-disclosed 3,251 individuals who had obtained noncitizen identification numbers would have their voter status revoked. These individuals are now under scrutiny for potential removal from the voter rolls. Consequently, voting rights activists have taken legal action, claiming that the policy unfairly targeted naturalized citizens for elimination from the voter rolls.
The legislation would have kept the agencies funded through March 28 in wait of lawmakers working on the full-year spending agreement. Democrats and a few Republicans are asking for a shorter extension, while Johnson and the more conservative members are pressing for a six-month extension in hopes of Trump winning which would put them in a more advantageous position.
