As the 2024 presidential election draws near, a potential government shutdown looms large. House Republicans are pushing for a bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which could lead to a heated battle with Democrats and a possible shutdown just weeks before the election.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, believes American voters are more concerned about secure elections than the politics of a potential government shutdown. “My constituents want [honest elections], they want a secure border, they don’t really give two flying s—s about the government funding,” Roy told Fox News Digital.
With Congress returning from summer recess next week, lawmakers have only three weeks to find an agreement to avoid a shutdown by October 1st. It is highly likely that a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), will be necessary to give negotiators more time to finalize spending priorities for the 2025 fiscal year.
Roy and other conservative Republicans are urging Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to attach the SAVE Act to the CR. However, the White House and Senate Democrats have deemed the SAVE Act a non-starter, and both sides are hesitant about the optics of a shutdown so close to the election.
Roy has refused to say whether he would support a shutdown but insists the blame would lie with Democrats if it occurs. He stated, “I’m not going to play the shutdown game… the press wants to make it about a shutdown. Democrats want to make this about a shutdown. Our point is pretty simple. We’re offering to fund the government – all manners of sin, by the way, in that government – we’re willing to do that, but these guys need to make sure our elections are secure. If [Democrats] want to shut the government down, that’s on them.”
Sources indicate that pairing the SAVE Act with a CR through March is a plan being considered by House GOP leadership. Johnson’s office has not yet commented on whether this will be their course of action.
Former President Donald Trump has added fuel to the fire, urging House Republicans to “shut down the government” if the SAVE Act is not passed. This stance aligns with his long-standing concerns about election integrity.
Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., has expressed support for a CR through December but has doubts about attaching the SAVE Act, acknowledging that any final agreement would need Senate approval.
Roy’s statements serve as an early warning that the upcoming fight to fund the government could mirror last year’s protracted battle that led to the removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The stakes are high, and the outcome could have significant implications for the 2024 election.
