The US House of Representatives has rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to temporarily fund the government.
The legislation would have linked temporary funding for the federal government with a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.
The next steps on government funding are uncertain with work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund federal agencies not due to be completed during the next fiscal year, meaning they will need to approve a stop-gap measure to prevent a partial shutdown when that budget year begins on October 1.
The vote was 220-202 with 14 Republicans and all but three Democrats opposing the bill.
Mr Johnson, who said after the vote he was “disappointed”, is likely to pursue a Plan B to avoid a partial shutdown, although he was not yet ready to share details.
“We’ll draw up another play and we’ll come up with a solution,” he said. “I’m already talking to colleagues about their many ideas. We have time to fix the situation and we’ll get right to it.”
Mr Johnson had pulled the bill from consideration last week because it lacked the votes to pass.
He worked through the weekend to win support from fellow Republicans but was unable to overcome objections about spending levels from some members, while others said they do not favour any continuing resolutions, insisting that Congress return to passing the dozen annual appropriations bills on time and one at a time. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the measure.
Requiring new voters to provide proof of citizenship has become a leading election-year priority for Republicans.
Opponents say that such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have a birth certificate or passport readily available when they get a chance to register at their school, church or other venues when voter registration drives occur.
But Mr Johnson said it is a serious problem because even if a tiny percentage of noncitizens do vote, it could determine the outcome of an extremely close race.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump weighed in just hours before the vote. seemingly encouraging House Republicans to let a partial government shutdown begin at the end of the month unless they get the proof of citizenship mandate, referred to in the House as the SAVE Act.
“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Mr Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social.
House Democrats said the proof of citizenship mandate should not be part of a bill to keep the government funded and urged Mr Johnson to work with them on a measure that can pass both chambers.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has predicted Mr Johnson’s effort was doomed to fail.
“The only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he’s running into a dead end,” Mr Schumer said. “We must have a bipartisan plan instead.”
The legislation would fund agencies generally at current levels until March 28 while politicians work out their differences on a full-year spending agreement.
Democrats, and some Republicans, are pushing for a shorter extension. A temporary fix would allow the current Congress to hammer out a final bill after the election and get it to Democratic President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
But Mr Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are pushing for a six-month extension in the hopes Mr Trump will win and give them more leverage when crafting the full-year bill.
