The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is making waves in Congress by indicating they will not support a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown unless it includes a provision requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. This move puts them at odds with more traditional GOP members who are aiming to finalize government funding by the end of the year.
With only half of the individual appropriations bills passed in the House and none in the Senate, a short-term extension of current funding levels beyond the September 30 fiscal year-end seems inevitable to prevent a government shutdown and potential furloughs of federal employees.
The House Freedom Caucus is calling for government funding to be extended into early 2025 to avoid a last-minute omnibus bill that could carry over Democrat spending policies into the next administration. They are also pushing for the inclusion of the SAVE Act, which aims to prevent non-citizens from voting, in the spending bill.
While the SAVE Act passed in the House with bipartisan support, it faces opposition in the Senate and from the White House, making its inclusion in the final spending bill uncertain. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole has expressed a preference for attaching measures like disaster relief funding to the spending bill to garner wider bipartisan support.
The ongoing discord over government spending in the 118th Congress has GOP rebels urging House Republican leadership to prioritize conservative policy goals or risk a shutdown. However, leaders on both sides are wary of the political fallout from a shutdown so close to the upcoming November election.
Last year's spending battle led to the removal of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy after he supported a clean short-term funding extension. The current standoff sets the stage for a potentially contentious fiscal fight as Congress grapples with balancing policy priorities and the need to keep the government running smoothly.
