US House rejects speaker's spending plan to avoid government shutdown

WASHINGTON

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to keep the government funded for six months.

The bill, backed by former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, failed by a vote of 202-220, with 14 Republicans voting against it and only three Democrats in favor.

After the vote, Johnson said he was "disappointed" that the bill, which included the SAVE Act that would require individuals to provide proof of US citizenship to vote, did not pass.

"So now we go back to the playbook, draw up another play, and we'll come up with a solution," he told reporters.

In the hours before the vote, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "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."

The government is set to shut down on Oct. 1 unless Democrats and Republicans agree on a funding bill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Senate lawmakers are working to avert a shutdown in less than two weeks.

"Democrats do not want a shutdown. The only way to avert a shutdown is to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement," he told reporters.

He urged the House to be "serious, come to the table, work together" to reach a bipartisan agreement with other leaders. "We don't have time to spare."

Separately, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Tuesday that a shutdown would be politically harmful for Republicans.

"The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It would be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election because certainly we’d get the blame," he told reporters.