House Republican leaders have introduced a short-term measure to fund the government until Dec. 20. The stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, does not include any partisan or controversial bill riders, although it does provide additional funding for the Secret Service.
The bill was introduced eight days before the Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated in a letter to colleagues that a continuing resolution is necessary because the Senate has failed to pass any of this year’s appropriations bills.
Last week, the House rejected a bill that would have funded the government until March and included the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in voting against this bill, with some Republicans arguing that including the SAVE Act was merely symbolic and had no chance of becoming law before Election Day.
Democrats criticized the six-month stopgap as pushing the deadline too far into the future and argued that laws already prohibit voting by illegal immigrants.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not give a definitive position on whether Democrats would support this new resolution but stated they would evaluate it collectively when they return on Sept. 23.
In addition to funding for various government agencies, including education and defense programs, this measure also includes additional funding for the Secret Service. This extra funding comes after two recent assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.
The proposed funding allocates an additional $231 million for Secret Service operations beyond what was already allocated for fiscal year 2024. The legislation also imposes conditions on how this funding should be used and requires faster compliance with Congress’s requests for documents related to these assassination attempts.
President Joe Biden has expressed support for increasing funding for the Secret Service following these incidents, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated openness to providing more resources if needed.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe has emphasized that increased funding is necessary and has been engaging in discussions with Congress regarding their needs.
The House recently voted unanimously to expand an investigative task force looking into an assassination attempt at one of Trump’s campaign rallies in Pennsylvania earlier this year. Another attempted attack occurred at Trump International Golf Club in Florida just days before.
