Johnson schedules doomed show vote on funding plan before pivoting to next step

Speaker Mike Johnson has set up a Wednesday vote on a six-month GOP government funding plan that is expected to fail, as the Louisiana Republican is under pressure to show the bill cannot pass before pivoting to the next step.

Speaker Mike Johnson has set up a Wednesday vote on a six-month GOP government funding plan that is expected to fail, as the Louisiana Republican is under pressure to show the bill cannot pass before pivoting to the next step. Johnson was forced to yank the bill – which includes a controversial measure targeting non-citizen voting – from the floor last week due to significant opposition within his own party. But the speaker has been under pressure from conservatives and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to act on election security as Trump continues to sow doubts over election integrity in the run-up to the 2024 elections. The plan to put the bill on the floor this week is aimed at demonstrating it will fail, according to two GOP aides, a move that will then allow the speaker to move on to a plan B, though it is unclear what that will be. Government funding runs out at the end of the month. Bringing the funding bill to the floor only to have it fail would put the major divisions within the House GOP conference on full display, but Johnson is once again facing a major challenge as he attempts to navigate a narrow majority as well as demands from Trump. The GOP presidential nominee has said that if Republicans don’t receive “absolute assurances” on election security, they should not pass a funding extension. “Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said on Tuesday announcing the planned vote. “I urge all of my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of the people of this country rightfully demand and deserve – prevent non-American citizens from voting in American elections.”