The House of Representatives failed to pass a six-month GOP government funding plan, with 14 Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against the measure, CNN reports.
The bill included a provision targeting noncitizen voting, a key demand of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed widespread voter fraud. This provision, the SAVE Act, would have required documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
The bill’s failure leaves Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling for a Plan B, with a “clean” funding extension, one without the voting provisions, widely viewed as the only viable option to prevent a shutdown. However, Trump has been pressing for a shutdown if Republicans fail to address his concerns about election integrity.
“I’m already talking to colleagues about their many ideas,” Johnson said, adding that he will “draw up another play” and “fix the situation.”
The situation is further complicated by the recent alleged assassination attempt against Trump at his Florida golf course. Lawmakers are now questioning whether the Secret Service is underfunded or simply mismanaged, with concerns about whether meaningful security improvements can be made before the November election.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced that the House will soon vote on a bill mandating that both Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris receive the same level of Secret Service protection as President Joe Biden.
