Schumer takes steps to prevent shutdown as Speaker Johnson’s next move unclear

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday that he is taking steps to avert a shutdown as Speaker Mike Johnson’s next moves remain unclear.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday that he is taking steps to avert a shutdown as Speaker Mike Johnson’s next moves remain unclear. Schumer said on the Senate floor that he will take an initial procedural step that will give the Senate the option to set up a vote next week on a government funding extension as the threat of a shutdown looms at the end of the month. After the House failed on Wednesday to pass a funding plan that included a controversial measure targeting non-citizen voting, Johnson has not yet said exactly what he will do next. Schumer criticized the Louisiana Republican’s handling of the issue, saying at a news conference that the speaker “totally flopped right on his face” by trying and failing to pass the GOP plan. Schumer did not say if he’s spoken directly to Johnson about next steps, nor would he say if he is trying to get relief for natural disasters or more money for the embattled Secret Service into the bill. “Not going to negotiate in public on this issue,” he said. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has called for Republicans to shut down the government if they can’t pass the voting measure known as the SAVE Act.