Johnson calls on House of Representatives to vote on six-month continuation resolution with SAVE Act attached

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday that he would push for a vote in the full House to prevent a government shutdown, with a bill attached to restrict non-citizens from voting.

“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: fund the federal government responsibly and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said in a statement.

“Because we owe this to our constituents, we will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the 6-month CR with the SAVE Act attached,” he added. “I urge all of my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of the people of this country rightly demand and deserve — stop non-Americans from voting in American elections.”

Johnson proposes a six-month extension of government funding levels for the current fiscal year, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), and attaches a bill known as Protecting American Voters’ Rights Act (SAVE)which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship – in person – when registering to vote and to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.

DOUBTS GROW IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AS JOHNSON WALKS INTO FUNDING DISPUTE: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’

Most Democrats oppose the CR with the SAVE Act attached, and the Biden-Harris White House has threatened to veto such a measure. The CR also faces opposition from some Republicans in the House of Representatives.

“Your bill does NOT fund the government responsibly,” wrote Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky in response to Johnson's statement on X. “It's 12 bills rolled into a single bill that continues the wasteful spending that is ruining our country. The fact that you added a 13th bill does not make it a serious solution. Please stop insulting our constituents.”

“Like an undead but damned zombie, the CR+Save Act is back,” Massie added in a separate post. “Speaker Johnson is pretending to fight by attaching a bright, shiny object (that he will later abandon) to a bill that continues our path of destructive spending. I will not participate in this insulting charade. I am absolutely not in it.”

Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to reporters after the final votes of the week at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia condemned Johnson for calling the vote on Wednesday, writing, “This is a classic bait-and-switch tactic that will infuriate voters just a month before the election when they realize they have been duped and disappointed once again. The only way to make the SAVE Act law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it.”

This, she wrote, would lead to a government shutdown on October 1, “because Biden and Schumer have both said they would shut down the government because they are so vehemently opposed to the SAVE Act.”

“Johnson will NOT commit to facing the Democrats in a fight against a shutdown and will allow the passage of a clean CR to fund the government because he believes a government shutdown will be blamed on Republicans and will hurt their elections,” Greene continued. “Johnson is fighting a fake fight he doesn't really want to fight.”

“Even with a shutdown and a fierce fight into October, it would be too late for the SAVE Act to make a difference in this election, as mail-in ballots would already be sent out and early voting would already have begun. I refuse to lie to anyone that this plan will work, and it's already dead this week,” she said. “Speaker Johnson needs to reach out to the Democrats he's been working with all along to get the votes he needs to do what he's already planning to do.”

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson's vote to continue the resolution with the SAVE Act attached as a “classic bait and switch” tactic for Republicans. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

“Congress cannot continue to procrastinate while our national debt soars, our borders remain wide open, and Biden and Kamala's radical policies continue to be FULLY funded,” wrote Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana. “I have been and will ALWAYS oppose a continuation resolution!”

Republicans say Schumer must act on the citizenship bill for voters if the Democrat “really cares about democracy”

The congressman who sponsored the SAVE Act, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, sharply criticized Republicans on Tuesday for threatening to override Johnson's continuation resolution.

“Now there will be a resolution to continue federal funding before the election. The only questions are when it will come, how long it will take, and what could have been accomplished regarding #SAVEAct and non-citizen voting. But a few 'conservative' prophets are writing their self-fulfilling script to lead to failure,” Roy wrote on X.

Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin also pointed out that “Ohio, Virginia, Texas and other states found noncitizens on their voter rolls, some of whom even cast their votes.”

“The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote and ensures that non-citizens are removed from the voter rolls. But Democrats want to shut down the government to prevent the bill from passing,” Tiffany wrote Tuesday.

“Kamala Harris and the left continue to falsely raise the alarm that 'democracy is in danger' if Trump wins this election,” Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Democracy as we know it in America has never been more in danger than it is now, as Democrats continue to undermine and thwart the will of the voters through their illegal and unconstitutional re-election system designed to allow illegal immigrants to vote in our elections.”

The speaker could get help from Democratic defectors. Five Democrats in the House broke away from their party earlier this year to vote for the SAVE Act.

Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks to reporters about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2024 (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump supported the SAVE Act.

Last week, however, the Republican presidential candidate said on TRUTH Social: “Unless Republicans in the House and Senate get absolute assurances on election security, THEY SHOULD NOT BE ADVANCED ON A CONTINUING BUDGET RESOLUTION. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO 'FILL' THE VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON'T LET IT HAPPEN – STOP IT!!!”

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A CR by March would mean that the debate over government funding would be taken up by a new White House – led by either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris – and a new Congress.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.