WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — Election years usually mean a light fall schedule for Congress, but yet another a deadline to fund the federal government creates one of the few must-do items on the agenda.

Legislators return today after a six-week summer break. The new fiscal year on begins Oct. 1, but Congress has failed to pass long-term spending bills with time running out, creating a need for a stopgap measure to keep the government running in three weeks.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has floated a plan that, if approved, would mostly keep current funding levels in place through March. But the measure includes a Republican proposal called the SAVE Act requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections.

Noncitizen voting is extraordinarily rare. A state audit conducted by the Georgia secretary of state’s office in 2022 found no instances of it, but it is a popular issue with the GOP base. This year, polling places in the state will be required to post signs warning that only U.S. citizens can vote.

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde was among the conservative lawmakers on Friday expressing support for Johnson’s plan.

“Attaching the SAVE Act to the continuing resolution is crucial,” the northeast Georgia lawmaker wrote on X. “Americans deserve certainty in the integrity of our elections.”

Democrats, however, blasted the inclusion of the voting legislation on the spending measure, arguing that it is an attempt to boost former President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration talking points ahead of November’s election. They also pointed out that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Patty Murphy, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a joint statement saying the government funding bill will be a nonstarter in their chamber if the voter registration language is attached.

“As we have said repeatedly, avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party,” they said. “Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake as former Speaker McCarthy did a year ago, by wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right.”

The House could vote as soon as Wednesday on Johnson’s proposal.

With few Democrats in the House likely to support Johnson’s stopgap in its current format, he will have to rely on House Republicans’ thin majority to pass it. It is unclear if Johnson has the votes because some swing district GOP lawmakers may be hesitant to take a vote on the SAVE Act and some hard-liners say they will not vote for a continuing resolution under any circumstances.

The Senate will push for a version that addresses government funding alone without inclusion of the SAVE Act. If a bill is not sent to President Joe Biden before Oct. 1, a partial government shutdown would commence.

A similar fight over government funding last year led to the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. While Johnson’s speakership appears more secure, House Republicans have shouldered most of the blame from voters for intraparty dysfunction leading to multiple threats of government shutdowns in recent months.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter told “Politically Georgia” last week that the repeated threats of government shutdowns have taken their toll as continuing resolutions become the tool used to keep the government funded in the absence of long-term spending bills.

“I mean, it’s the same song, second verse, third verse,” the St. Simons Island Republican said.

DEADLINES AHEAD

Government funding is the most crucial item on Congress’ plate, but there is other legislation needing attention. Here is a list of some of the legislation expiring before the end of the year.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Deadline: Sept. 30

Status: The House has introduced a six-month stopgap measure that also includes language requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

FARM BILL

Deadline: Sept. 30 (some programs) and Dec. 31

Last year, Congress approved a one-year extension to the federal farm bill to buy more time to negotiate a new five-year agreement. But meeting these new deadlines appears unlikely with Republicans and Democrats in disagreement, especially when it comes to the future of the popular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps.

DEFENSE BILL

Deadline: Dec. 31

The National Defense Authorization Act has been approved annually each year since its inception, making the military and national defense policy package one of the few pieces of legislation that is routinely able to break through Congress’ partisan divides. A New Year’s deadline seeks to keep the streak going.

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