Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Trump Tower on September 6, 2024 in New York City.
David D. Delgado | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Republican lawmakers should pursue a government shutdown if they can’t attach a tough resolution to a temporary budget resolution to keep the government running.
“Unless Republicans in the House and Senate can get absolute assurances about the security of our elections, they should not move forward with a continuing budget resolution of any kind,” the GOP presidential candidate said in a statement. The truth of society post.
“Democrats are trying to ‘stuff’ illegal immigrants onto the voter rolls. Don’t let them do that. Stop them!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is currently trying to pass a six-month stopgap budget bill along with the controversial SAVE Act, a bill that would require individuals to show proof of citizenship when voting.
Congressional Democrats have repeatedly signaled they will not pass any funding bills that would accompany such measures, which they see as “poison pills” — controversial measures tied to parts of the bill as a way to undermine the entire deal.
“The House Republican CR is an insincere and unfinished product,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-New York, said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Republicans should work with Democrats to craft a bipartisan bill that embraces both sides, avoids harmful cuts, and doesn’t include a poison pill.”
Congress must reach a funding deal by September 30, or it could lead to a partial government shutdown.
As the deadline approaches, Johnson shows no signs of backing down from the SAVE Act attachment, aligning with President Trump’s wishes even as Democrats stick to their pledge to vote against the bill.
With Democrats and Republicans at a stalemate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is willing to break with hardliners who insist the party must protect the SAVE Act even at the cost of a government shutdown.
“Shutting down the government is always a bad idea,” McConnell said Tuesday.
On the same day, the House approved CR rules that would fund the government through March 2025, including the SAVE Act.
A final vote to pass the funding bill in the House is expected to take place on Wednesday, but even if it passes, it likely won’t become law in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
— NBC News’ Sahil Kapoor contributed to this report.
