Sep 18, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Johnson suffers embarrassing loss as bill to stop shutdown fails

Andrew Solender

Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) preferred bill to avert a government shutdown failed on the House floor Wednesday due to GOP defections.

Why it matters: The pressure is on for Johnson to cough up his next move, with questions mounting about whether he'll now embrace a bipartisan solution with fewer than two weeks to go before government funding runs out.

What happened: The bill, which would extend government funding for six months at current levels, failed 202-220, with 14 Republicans voting against it and three Democrats voting for it.

Hardliners were the bulk of the bill's GOP opponents, with many blasting the inclusion of the non-citizen voting language, known as the SAVE Act, as little more than political theater.
Johnson attached the SAVE Act, legislation, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, to court right-wing hardliners.

What to watch: Many Republican lawmakers, ranging from top House Appropriations Committee members to conservative Johnson critics, expect the House to turn next to a three-month stopgap without the SAVE Act.

Democratic leaders in both chambers have been pushing a clean, three-month spending extension.

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Johnson suffers embarrassing loss as bill to stop shutdown fails

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