GOP leaders rely on Dems (again) to prevent a government shutdown

By Steve Benen UPDATE (Sept. 25, 2024, 6:38 p.m.

ET): On Wednesday, the Senate voted 78-18 to pass the stopgap funding bill and avert a government shutdown, sending the measure to President Joe Biden. A couple of weeks ago, facing the possibility of a Republican-imposed government shutdown , House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries shared an underappreciated point with reporters. “Democrats are temporarily in the minority but have repeatedly governed as if we are in the majority, because we recognize that our job is to deliver for the American people,” the New York Democrat explained.

Two weeks later, the accuracy of Jeffries’ assessment rang true anew. NBC News reported : The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a funding bill to avert a government shutdown next week after it removed a proposal demanded by Donald Trump that would require Americans nationwide to show proof of citizenship to register to vote. The vote was 341-82, with all opposition coming from Republicans.

House Republican leaders, facing defections within their ranks, relied heavily on Democratic votes to approve the short-term measure. It was just last week when the House GOP leadership tried a far-right approach to preventing a shutdown, tying spending cuts to a far-right election scheme called the SAVE Act , which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. That bill failed in humiliating fashion , prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to turn to a backup plan .

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