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Calling it \u201cunserious and unacceptable,\u201d House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected on Monday a\u00a0proposal<\/a>\u00a0from Speaker Mike Johnson that links continued government<\/a> funding for six months with a measure to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.<\/p>\n The response frames the spending battle to come over the next weeks as lawmakers work to reach consensus on a short-term spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Lawmakers hope to avoid a shutdown just weeks before voters go to the polls.<\/a><\/p>\n Johnson is punting the final decisions on full-year spending<\/a> into next year when a new president and Congress take over. He\u2019s doing so at the urging of members within his conference who believe that Republicans will be in a better position next year to secure the funding and policy priorities they want.<\/p>\n But Jeffries said the appropriations process should be wrapped up by this Congress, and the short-term measure should reflect that. It also needs to be free of \u201cpartisan policy changes,\u201d Jeffries said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no other viable path forward that protects the health, safety and economic well-being of hardworking American taxpayers,\u201d Jeffries wrote in a letter to House Democrats released Monday.<\/p>\n Lawmakers are returning to Washington this week following a traditional August recess spent mostly working in their home states and districts. They are not close to completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund the agencies during the next fiscal year, so they\u2019ll need to approve a stopgap measure.<\/p>\n The House bill including the proof of citizenship mandate for voter registration complicates the effort. The voter registration measure is popular with House Republicans and has already passed once before in that chamber. The House Freedom Caucus, which generally includes the chamber\u2019s most conservative members, called for it to be attached to the spending bill.<\/p>\n Republicans say that requiring proof of citizenship would ensure that U.S. elections are only for American citizens, improving confidence in the nation\u2019s federal election system, something that former President Donald Trump has sought to\u00a0undermine<\/a>\u00a0over the years.<\/p>\n Opponents say it is already against the law for\u00a0noncitizens to vote in federal elections<\/a>\u00a0and that the document requirements would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have the necessary documents readily available when they get a chance to register.<\/p>\n Trump and other Republicans have revved up their complaints about the issue of noncitizens voting with the influx of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border under President Joe Biden\u2019s administration. They are contending Democrats let them in to add them to the voter rolls. But the available evidence shows that noncitizen voting in federal elections is incredibly rare.<\/p>\n Johnson called the proof of citizenship mandate a \u201crighteous fight\u201d as he entered the Capitol Monday afternoon. He said that even if a small percentage of people who have entered the U.S. illegally end up registering to vote, \u201cthey can throw the election. This is serious business.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Democrats have also come out against Johnson\u2019s proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill \u201cpure partisan posturing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaker Johnson knows deep down that he needs to work with Democrats to get anything done,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n The White House said that if the bill reaches Biden\u2019s desk he will veto it. The veto threat said states already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters\u2019 eligibility and maintain accurate voter rolls.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of working in a bipartisan manner to keep the Government open and provide emergency funding for disaster needs, House Republicans have chosen brinksmanship,\u201d the White House statement said.<\/p>\n The bill does provide an additional $10 billion for a disaster relief fund administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the White House said it did not cover the full amount needed through other disaster relief programs, such as for highways and bridges damaged by disasters in 38 states.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that long-term continuing resolutions, such as the current one to be voted on in the House this week, harm military readiness. Austin said in a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that, if passed, the bill would mark the second year in a row and the seventh time in the past 15 years that the department is delayed in moving forward with some critical priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cThese actions subject Service members and their families to unnecessary stress, empower our adversaries, misalign billions of dollars, damage our readiness, and impede our ability to react to emergent events,\u201d Austin wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nRecommended reading:<\/strong>
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