Conservative House Republicans are pushing their leaders to tie an extension of government funding that Congress needs to pass in September to avoid a shutdown to legislation that would implement more protocols to stop noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
The House Freedom Caucus took an official position in support of linking the two issues to pressure the Senate to take up the House-approved Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require persons registering to vote to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, among other provisions designed to increase enforcement of the law that bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
The House passed the SAVE Act in July in a 221-198, mostly party-line vote. Five Democrats voted with all Republicans in support of the bill, led by Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy, Texas Republican.
The Senate has not taken up the SAVE Act, given that Democrats control the chamber. Democrats mostly oppose the legislation, arguing it would do little or nothing at all to safeguard elections and would instead make it harder for citizens to register to vote.
That’s why the Freedom Caucus is pushing to tie the measure to a must-pass extension of government funding — known as a continuing resolution because it will continue current government funding policies into the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 — in an effort to force the Senate to act.
“The Continuing Resolution should include the SAVE Act — as called for by [former] President [Donald] Trump — to prevent noncitizens from voting to preserve free and fair elections in light of the millions of illegal aliens imported by the Biden-Harris administration over the last four years,” the Freedom Caucus said in a statement.
The group’s official position, which requires support from at least 80% of its roughly three dozen members, also calls for extending government into early 2025 so that the next president can be involved in negotiating new funding levels and policies for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Most appropriators prefer to extend government funding into December so lawmakers can pass new spending bills after the elections before the current Congress ends.
The Freedom Caucus is arguing against a lame-duck session spending deal, saying it would likely result in a catchall omnibus bill that “preserves Democrat spending and policies well into the next administration.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet taken a position on the duration of a continuing resolution or whether to include any other legislation in the must-pass measure.
But the Louisiana Republican has continued to call on the Senate to take up the SAVE Act, most recently in a Fox News op-ed published Monday.
“In an era of divided government where every single ballot matters immensely, we must have zero tolerance for fraud,” Mr. Johnson wrote.
“Everyone who shares this common concern should insist that Senator [Charles E.] Schumer bring this bill forward to pass in the Senate, and that President Biden then sign it into law,” he wrote. “The stakes could not be any higher.”
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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