House rejects Speaker Johnson’s funding plan as shutdown deadline looms

The House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s government funding plan, with 14 Republicans voting against it and two others present for the vote.

The measure was defeated by a vote of 202-222-2. Three Democrats voted for the bill.

Johnson said after the vote he was “disappointed the bill did not pass” but suggested there was a “solution” to avoid a government shutdown.

“We made that game. That was the best game; that was the right one. So now we’re going back to the playbook. We’re going to make another game and find a solution,” John said. “I’m already talking to my colleagues about a lot of their ideas. We have time to fix it, and we’re going to get to it right away.”

“Stay tuned,” he concluded, without answering questions.

Johnson’s measure would fund the government for six months but would also include the SAVE Act, a bill backed by GOP leaders and former President Donald Trump that would require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. Democrats have said the bill is unacceptable, noting that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

Johnson had intended to try to pass the funding plan last week but withdrew the idea after failing to gain enough votes.

MORE: https://abcnews.go.com/538/feels-government-shut/story?id=108891202

Some Republicans in his caucus oppose the measure because they believe it will add to the deficit, while defense advocates say they will not vote for it because the six-month extension would impact Defense Department readiness.

Still, he has been busy with the matter and has not spoken about what the next steps will be. Congress must pass a funding measure by Oct. 1 to avoid a shutdown.

Trump has openly called on Republicans to allow the government to shut down if they don’t pass the SAVE Act, writing on his social media platform that unless they “receive absolute assurances about election security, THEY SHOULD NOT, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, PASS A CONTINUING BUDGET RESOLUTION.”

MORE: Johnson withdraws vote on temporary short-term government funding bill

Asked about Trump’s comments that Republicans should allow funding to lapse in such a scenario, Johnson replied: “No, look, President Trump and I have talked about this a lot. We have talked about this a lot with our colleagues who are building consensus on a plan. We all believe that election security is paramount right now.”

Trump again, just before Wednesday’s vote, called for a government shutdown if “every ounce” of the SAVE Act is not tied to funding efforts.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s highest-ranking Republican, said it would be “politically unbeatable” to allow a government shutdown seven weeks before Election Day.

“I think we have to wait and see what the House gives us first. My only comment on this whole discussion is that we cannot have a government shutdown,” McConnell said. “It would be politically unthinkable for us to do it right before the election because we would certainly get blamed.”

MORE: Defense Secretary Austin tells Congress 6-month funding gap would be ‘devastating to our readiness’

Democrats called on Johnson to withdraw the funding plan and come up with a clear, short-term solution that would keep the government running.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters last week that the only way forward is a bipartisan deal that does not include “extreme” measures like the SAVE Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday also called on the House of Representatives to pass a clean bill.

“To avoid a shutdown, the worst thing our colleagues in the House can do right now is waste time on proposals that do not have broad bipartisan support,” Schumer said.

Allison Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Alexandra Hutzler of ABC News contributed to this report.

House rejects Speaker Johnson’s funding plan as shutdown deadline looms originally published on abcnews.go.com