The Republicans’ plans to place Democrats in a bind over a voter integrity measure attached to a stopgap spending measure will fail, say Democrat leaders.
House Republicans plan to apply a pressure campaign on Democrats with tough votes, including a measure attached to their funding proposal that stiffens the law against foreigners voting in U.S. elections.
GOP leaders on Friday released their proposed funding patch that includes legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote and postpones a final decision on government spending until next year, formally setting up a fight with the Democrat-led Senate.
The measure, which passed the House in July with the support of five Democrats, makes good on Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to pair the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act with funding for government operations through March 28.
However, there is no certainty that five Democrats will renew their support for the SAVE Act when it’s attached to the temporary spending bill. Republicans see this as an opportunity to hit at these lawmakers before voters go to the polls in November.
Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California said this is nothing more than the GOP playing politics through the funding bill.
“This is Speaker Johnson just trying to make Donald Trump happy. So we’re not worried about it. I know the question is about the politics of our members,” Mr. Aguilar told The Washington Times.
“Our members have overwhelmingly rejected this. The members who have supported it can tell their communities that they supported it on a stand-alone piece of legislation, but when it’s wrapped up into all of this chaos with cuts to veterans, with cuts to important programs, it just doesn’t make sense.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Minnesota Republican, responded to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, New York Democrat, who said in a “Dear Colleague letter” recently that his members should reject Mr. Johnson’s proposal and that Democrats “have consistently put people over politics.”
Mr. Emmer said, “I would like to correct the record: House Democrats have consistently put illegal immigrants over law-abiding American citizens. In July, House Republicans passed the SAVE Act — a commonsense bill that requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and removes noncitizens from voter rolls.”
“The Harris-Biden administration even issued a veto threat, claiming this legislation is unnecessary. If that’s true, why are they so afraid of making the SAVE Act law? You can’t have it both ways.”
House Republicans face defiance of the funding measure within their own ranks and are scrambling to shore up support before the vote comes to the floor Wednesday.
Lawmakers will be on Capitol Hill for only three weeks until they return to their districts to campaign ahead of the Nov. 5 election, and Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, plans to maximize that time to force Democrats into uncomfortable votes.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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