The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, introduced a bill on Sunday to extend the federal budget for three months to avoid a partial government shutdown on October 1, when current funding will run out.
The initiative excludes a provision that former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the November elections, had requested to include, which would impose new requirements for citizens to prove their nationality when registering to vote—a measure that Democrats have already opposed.
Johnson announced the proposal in a letter to his fellow Republicans, published just eight days before the current discretionary funding of $1.2 trillion expires at midnight on September 30, marking the start of the new fiscal year.
The initiative excludes a provision that former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the November elections, had requested to include, which would impose new requirements for citizens to prove their nationality when registering to vote—a measure that Democrats have already opposed.
Johnson announced the proposal in a letter to his fellow Republicans, published just eight days before the current discretionary funding of $1.2 trillion expires at midnight on September 30, marking the start of the new fiscal year.
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According to a Republican leadership advisor in the House, as cited by Roll Call, the vote on the bill is expected to take place this Wednesday.
Both political parties in Congress are interested in avoiding a government shutdown due to the upcoming elections on November 5, where Trump will face off against Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Additionally, all members of the House and a third of the Senate will be up for election.
"As history has taught us and current polls confirm, shutting down the government less than 40 days before crucial elections would be a political negligence," Johnson stated in his letter.
If approved, the bill would allow the government to be funded until December 20, postponing any partisan battles until after the November 5 elections.
If the two parties fail to approve a budget extension, it would result in the shutdown of most government agencies, museums, and national parks, while hundreds of thousands of employees would be temporarily without jobs and pay.
The last such shutdown occurred during Trump's presidency and was the longest in history, lasting 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 29, 2019.
According to a Republican leadership advisor in the House, as cited by Roll Call, the vote on the bill is expected to take place this Wednesday.
Both political parties in Congress are interested in avoiding a government shutdown due to the upcoming elections on November 5, where Trump will face off against Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Additionally, all members of the House and a third of the Senate will be up for election.
"As history has taught us and current polls confirm, shutting down the government less than 40 days before crucial elections would be a political negligence," Johnson stated in his letter.
If approved, the bill would allow the government to be funded until December 20, postponing any partisan battles until after the November 5 elections.
If the two parties fail to approve a budget extension, it would result in the shutdown of most government agencies, museums, and national parks, while hundreds of thousands of employees would be temporarily without jobs and pay.
The last such shutdown occurred during Trump's presidency and was the longest in history, lasting 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 29, 2019.