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GOP Seeks Support for Shutdown Vote 02/03 06:09
Speaker Mike Johnson's ability to carry out President Donald Trump's "play
call" for funding the government will be put to the test Tuesday as the House
holds a procedural vote on a bill to end the partial shutdown.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Speaker Mike Johnson's ability to carry out President
Donald Trump's "play call" for funding the government will be put to the test
Tuesday as the House holds a procedural vote on a bill to end the partial
shutdown.
Johnson will need near-unanimous support from his Republican conference to
proceed. He can afford to lose only one Republican on party-line votes with
perfect attendance, but some lawmakers are threatening to tank the effort if
their priorities are not included. Trump weighed in with a social media post,
telling them "There can be NO CHANGES at this time."
"We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been
raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown
that will hurt our Country so badly -- One that will not benefit Republicans or
Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!," Trump wrote on his social media
site.
The measure would end the partial government shutdown that began Saturday,
funding most of the federal government through Sept. 30 and the Department of
Homeland Security for two weeks as lawmakers negotiate potential changes for
the agency that enforces the nation's immigration laws -- United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Running Trump's 'play call'
Johnson said on "Fox News Sunday" it was Trump's "play call to do it this
way. He had already conceded he wants to turn down the volume, so to speak."
But GOP leaders sounded like they still had work to do in convincing the
rank-and-file to join them as House lawmakers returned to the Capitol Monday
after a week back in their congressional districts.
"We always work till the midnight hour to get the votes," said House
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. "You never start the process with
everybody on board. You work through it, and you could say that about every
major bill we've passed."
The funding package passed the Senate on Friday. Trump says he'll sign it
immediately if it passes the House. Some Democrats are expected to vote for the
final bill, but not for the initial procedural measure setting the terms for
the House debate, making it the tougher test for Johnson and the White House.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made clear that Democrats wouldn't
help Republicans out of their procedural jam, even though Senate Democratic
leader Chuck Schumer helped negotiate the funding bill.
Jeffries noted that the procedural vote covers a variety of issues that most
Democrats oppose, including resolutions to hold former President Bill Clinton
and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the
Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
"If they have some massive mandate," Jeffries said of Republicans, "then go
pass your rule, which includes toxic bills that we don't support."
Key differences from the last shutdown
The path to the current partial shutdown differs from the fall impasse,
which affected more agencies and lasted a record 43 days.
Then, the debate was over extending temporary, COVID-era subsidies for those
who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Democrats were
unsuccessful in getting those subsidies included as part of a package to end
the shutdown.
Congress has made important progress since then, passing six of the 12
annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and programs. That
includes important programs such as nutrition assistance and fully operating
national parks and historic sites. They are funded through Sept. 30.
But the remaining unpassed bills represent roughly three-quarters of federal
spending, including the Department of Defense. Service members and federal
workers could miss paychecks depending upon the length of the current funding
lapse.
Voting bill becomes last-minute obstacle
Some House Republicans have demanded that the funding package include
legislation requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before they are
eligible to participate in elections. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., had said
the legislation, known as the SAVE Act, must be included in the appropriations
package.
But Luna appeared to drop her objections late Monday, writing on social
media that she had spoken with Trump about a "pathway forward" for the voting
bill in the Senate that would keep the government open.
The Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank focused on democracy and voting
rights issues, said the voting bill's passage would mean that Americans would
need to produce a passport or birth certificate to register to vote, and that
at least 21 million votes lack ready access to those papers.
"If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations
package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown," Schumer
said. "Let's be clear, the SAVE Act is not about securing our elections. It is
about suppressing voters."
Johnson has operated with a thin majority throughout his tenure as speaker.
But with Saturday's special election in Texas, the Republican majority stands
at a threadbare 218-214, shrinking the GOP's ability to withstand defections.
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