Former President Trump on Tuesday appeared to call on his party to block government funding if legislation does not include “assurances on Election Security.”
The government will shut down Oct. 1 unless Congress agrees to a funding bill by the end of this month.
“If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The continuing resolution (CR) is a measure the parties have been discussing to keep the government funded. It stops short of the annual appropriations measures passed by Congress to fund the government, but would essentially keep the government open and functioning at a funding level equal to what is now law.
House Republicans have been battling with Democrats over a funding bill set to hit the floor Wednesday, and Trump’s Truth Social post came as the House approved a rule governing debate on the measure.
The bill, unveiled by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in recent days, pairs a six-month CR with a bill backed by Trump to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. That is the legislation set to come to the floor Wednesday.
The legislation was seen as being on shaky ground despite Tuesday’s passage of the rule, with a number of Republicans saying they would not support it. Trump’s message could complicate efforts further.
The White House called the attached voting proposal “unrelated cynical legislation,” and Democrats have more broadly called the legislation unnecessary because it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.
The length of the stopgap would punt the next funding battle into March, when Republicans are hopeful Trump will be back in the White House and can put his stamp on negotiations.
But Republicans themselves are divided over the length of the CR, with Senate Appropriations Committee ranking Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) among those calling for a shorter one.
The proposal is unlikely to gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and the White House has said President Biden would veto Johnson’s proposal.
Updated at 3:17 p.m. EDT
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