Jeffries: New election rules are ‘nonstarter’ for Democrats in funding fight

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Democrats will oppose any federal funding bill that includes conservative policy riders pushed by former President Trump.

“Donald Trump has ordered extreme MAGA Republicans in the House to shut the government down unless they can jam parts of Trump’s Project 2025 agenda down the throats of the American people,” Jeffries said during a press briefing at the Capitol. 

“That’s a nonstarter.”

The remarks are a message to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has insisted that a stopgap spending bill must include a proposal known as the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Trump, in rallies and on social media, has demanded that the SAVE Act be included in any federal spending bill Congress adopts before November’s elections. He’s urging Republicans to shut down the government if Democrats don’t agree.

“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Trump posted Wednesday night on Truth Social.

Democrats are opposed to the SAVE Act, saying it’s redundant, because federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. They also argue that the new mandates would disenfranchise those voters who are citizens but don’t have ready access to the documents proving it. Jeffries called it “a voter suppression bill.” 

“Current law is very clear: What is so complicated about the fact that only citizens, under the United States Constitution and federal law, are permitted to vote in federal elections?” Jeffries said.

The dynamics have left Johnson in a pickle, squeezed between the demands of Democrats, whose support will be necessary to prevent a government shutdown, and those of Trump, whose support Johnson might need to remain atop the House GOP conference next year. 

If Congress fails to act, large parts of the government will shut down on Oct. 1.

In the early stages of the debate, Johnson sided squarely with Trump, pushing legislation that combined a six-month extension of 2024 funding with the SAVE Act. But last week, Johnson was forced to scrap a scheduled vote on that package in the face of opposition within his own conference. 

The objections came from three blocs: deficit hawks wary of the spending levels, defense hawks opposed to a six-month freeze in Pentagon funding and vulnerable lawmakers anxious about the threat of a shutdown so close to Election Day. 

On Wednesday evening, Johnson finally brought the bill to the floor, but failed to change the minds of many GOP dissenters: The measure failed 202-220, with 14 Republicans voting against it. (None of those Republicans voiced concerns with the SAVE Act, which had passed through the House earlier in the year with all GOP lawmakers in support.) 

How the Speaker plans to proceed remains unclear. On Thursday morning, he huddled in his office in the Capitol with other GOP leaders. But they emerged having made no final decisions about their fallback strategy. 

“We don’t have a plan yet,” said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), head of the House GOP campaign arm. “We’re at the beginning of the discussions.”

Jeffries said he has not spoken with Johnson since the Republican stopgap bill failed on the floor Wednesday evening. But he said their staffs are in constant communication. And in past talks with the Speaker, Jeffries said his message has not strayed from his public statements demanding a shorter, three-month CR without the new election rules. 

“We will not let the American people be extorted by extreme MAGA Republicans who are trying to turn back the clock, undermine freedom and suppress the vote,” Jeffries said. 

The House impasse has raised the prospects that any stopgap funding bill capable of becoming law might have to originate in the Senate. Prepping for that scenario, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday that he’ll begin the process of bringing a continuing resolution to the floor next week if the House logjam persists. 

“By filing today, I’m giving the Senate maximum flexibility for preventing a shutdown,” he said.