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Senate Advances Funding Bill as Government Shutdown Approaches
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that he will move forward with a bipartisan funding bill to avert a potential government shutdown, as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struggled to pass a six-month stopgap measure tied to voter registration reforms.
With government funding set to expire on September 30, Schumer stated that the Senate may need to take the lead on advancing a funding measure, despite the usual protocol where spending bills originate in the House. “Later today, I’ll file cloture on a legislative vehicle that will enable us to prevent a Trump shutdown,” Schumer said, referencing former President Trump’s push for stricter voter registration rules as a condition for avoiding the shutdown.
Johnson’s proposed funding plan, which included a requirement for proof of citizenship to register to vote, failed in the House with 14 Republicans joining Democrats to block the measure. Many lawmakers, including members of both parties, voiced concerns about pushing spending bills for fiscal year 2025 to next March.
While former President Trump urged Republicans to hold out for the stricter voter registration rules, Senate Republicans, including Mitch McConnell (Ky.), expressed a preference for a clean, short-term funding resolution. Schumer emphasized that both parties will spend the coming days negotiating to keep the government open, but time is running short.
Schumer indicated that if Johnson cannot muster enough votes to pass a funding bill in the House, the Senate is prepared to take action to prevent the shutdown.
“We’re giving the Senate maximum flexibility to prevent a shutdown. Democrats, and I believe most Republicans, don’t want a Trump shutdown,” Schumer added.