Speaker Johnson will put a government funding deal on the House floor on Wednesday, along with a bill that would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. It comes just days after he abandoned the same plan due to opposition from his own Republican colleagues, who will almost assuredly kill the legislation when it is officially put up for a vote. 

Mr. Johnson, facing a similar dilemma that Speaker McCarthy faced just one year ago, has just 14 days to keep the government open. If he fails to get a bill through the House, the government will shut down on October 1 — potentially risking political ramifications for vulnerable House Republicans facing tough reelection battles this November. He will put what is known as a “continuing resolution” — or extension of funding past the fiscal year end on September 30 — on the floor. 

“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections. 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 wrote on X, referring to a bill that requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote. 

He tried a similar plan just one week ago, but pulled the CR–SAVE Act combo due to conservative opposition to the lack of meaningful spending cuts in the continuing resolution. Some members have even called it a bait-and-switch that was meant to appear as if Republicans were doing something, when in fact nothing was being accomplished. 

“Can we be honest with the American people about what’s going on here? This is political theater,” Congressman Thomas Massie said at a Rules Committee meeting ahead of Mr. Johnson’s effort last week to keep the government open. “It’s good theater. We’ve got great writers … [but] it’s the same plot every year!”

Mr. Massie said that since Republicans took control of the House nearly two years ago, they have uncovered a number of abuses in the executive branch, from government-sponsored censorship of social media to deceptions from the Centers for Disease Control. He added that Mr. Johnson’s goal is to fund “every freaking one of these things,” attach the SAVE Act to make the package look conservative, and then act angry when Senator Schumer refuses to take up the deal. 

“You ain’t getting the SAVE Act. It is not gonna stay on this bill. Why? Cuz we’re gonna cave!” he exclaimed. “I refused to be a thespian in this failure theater.”

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said the same, saying Mr. Johnson is “already” planning to act like the loser in a fight with Mr. Schumer so that the government will be funded in a bipartisan way that pleases the majority of Democrats. 

“This is classic bait-and-switch that will enrage the base, only one month before the election, when they find out they have been tricked and let down again. The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law. Johnson will NOT commit to standing up against the Democrats in a shutdown fight and will allow passage of a clean CR,” Ms. Greene wrote on X. 

“Johnson is leading a fake fight that he has no intention of actually fighting. Speaker Johnson needs to go to the Democrats, who he has worked with the entire time, to get the votes he needs to do what he is already planning to do,” she added. 

Some conservatives in Congress have pushed back on that, saying that Mr. Johnson may stick by his word to get the SAVE Act passed with a continuing resolution, despite the lack of meaningful spending cuts. President Trump has called on the speaker to let the government shut down if he fails to get Mr. Schumer to pass the SAVE Act in the upper chamber. 

Senator Lee — who almost never votes for these kinds of government spending extensions — says even he would be willing to vote to keep the government open as long as Mr. Johnson fights to get the SAVE Act to President Biden’s desk. Mr. Biden has said he would veto any funding deal that includes that legislation. 

“The only way to pass the SAVE Act is by passing it with the spending bill,” Mr. Less said in a video posted to X, urging viewers to call their representatives and senators to urge them to support the package.