Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday announced a new temporary government funding proposal with key amendments from the original bill he put forward earlier this month, going against former President Donald Trump’s wishes and making some concessions to Democrats.
The new bill would fund the government through Dec. 20 and does not include any part of the SAVE Act, the Trump-backed election security proposal that would require people to show proof of citizenship to register as a voter.
In a letter to colleagues on Sunday, Johnson said the “very narrow, bare-bones” proposal would include “only the extensions that are absolutely necessary” to avoid a government shutdown.
Congressional Republicans and Democrats have eight days to strike a deal on government funding. If no resolution is reached, the government will go into partial shutdown on Oct. 1 at 12:01 a.m. E.T., just over a month away from the November election when party control will be up for grabs in both the White House and Congress.
“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote in the letter. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”
The new bill will likely get to the House floor by Wednesday, according to House Republican aides.