House Republicans have introduced a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown, but its voter fraud provisions face Democrat opposition.
House Republicans have introduced a stopgap spending bill designed to avert a government shutdown at the end of September, but its inclusion of a provision targeting noncitizen voting has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats.
Unveiled on Sept. 6, the proposed legislation would extend federal funding through late March of next year while mandating that states verify U.S. citizenship during the voter registration process. The requirement has ignited heated debate on Capitol Hill.
The bill, titled the “Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2025,” aims to keep government agencies running beyond the Sept. 30 funding deadline. However, the addition of the voter verification provision has intensified partisan divisions, raising doubts about the bill’s chances of passing in its current form.
“Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement after the draft text of the stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, was revealed.
“Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections,”