House Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending bill was rejected by Congress on Wednesday after 14 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the stopgap measures—even after the speaker attached a Trump-endorsed voter registration act to the legislation.
The House now has until Sept. 30 to pass a spending bill or face a government shutdown.
Johnson previously scrapped a vote on the bill last week to spend the weekend rounding up support from hesitant members of his caucus. He also attached the SAVE Act to the legislation, which would prohibit states from registering non-citizens as voters—something Johnson himself has admitted is already illegal under federal law.
“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 wrote on Truth Social earlier on Wednesday.
Johnson was defiant, chalking the loss up to “the legislative process at work.” Speaking to a group of reporters, Johnson said “the play that we ran tonight was the right play. It’s the right fight for the American people. It’s the one that they demand and deserve.”
He added that there was plenty of time to “draw up another play”—but did not elaborate on what that might look like.
Later in the evening on Fox News, Johnson criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats for not bringing any of the Republican House majority’s appropriations bills up for a vote.
“There’s nothing that we can negotiate because there’s nothing on the table, Johnson told host Sean Hannity. “We’re pushed into this scenario, this dilemma, because of the Senate’s inability, or unwillingness, to do their job.
The Republicans who joined the Democrats to defeat the bill included Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.
