Just hours into the House’s return from August recess, Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to keep the government open was already falling apart.
Governing funding is set to expire at the end of September, and Johnson is trying to make Republican hard-liners happy while avoiding a shutdown before the election.
But his strategy — pairing a six-month spending extension with a bill that would require proof of citizenship before someone could register to vote — doesn’t seem to be enough for a critical mass of conservatives. And his plan to keep funding levels the same until March, when there’s a new president in office, doesn’t appear to have won over influential Republicans.