House Republicans will attempt to pass the remaining spending bills and the two-week extension funding the Department of Homeland Security along party lines to end the partial government shutdown, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) revealed on Sunday night.
Luna posted on X that GOP leaders would no longer be moving the legislation to the floor under suspension, which would fast-track passage of it but requires a two-thirds majority and, therefore, Democratic support. Instead, they will hope for a united caucus to pass the bills and fully reopen the government, a tricky prospect given Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) razor-thin majority.
Johnson had already hinted at the change in strategy in multiple Sunday show appearances, while also expressing confidence all bills would be passed by Tuesday.
That timeline is quickly proving to be ambitious, however, especially given amendments are permitted under the normal rules process for passing spending bills.
Luna herself is seeking to add the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote, to the legislation. She vowed to tank it if it’s not included, indicating she has the support of “many” of her colleagues who could also defect and derail its passage.
While that process may prove difficult, the suspension option was hardly better. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned Johnson over the weekend that he should not count on any Democratic votes to pass the legislation.
That hard-line stance came as some House Democrats voiced opposition to the stopgap funding for DHS, which was a compromise granted by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in order to scrap the original bill funding the agency.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) was among those against it, saying on NBC News’s Meet the Press that he was a “firm no” and would call on his colleagues to vote the same, pointing to the two federal officer-involved shootings in Minneapolis last month.
JEFFRIES SAYS ‘DRAMATIC REFORM’ TO DHS MUST PRECEDE VOTE TO END SHUTDOWN
Jeffries also called for DHS to be “dramatically reformed” before any funding for the agency, including the two-week extension, is passed.
The House will return to session on Monday after a weeklong recess.