Speaker Johnson sets up vote on doomed funding plan as shutdown deadline looms

Speaker Mike Johnson is moving ahead with a vote on a six-month GOP government funding plan that is expected to fail, a move that will put Republican divisions on full display, but could then allow the Louisiana Republican to pivot as the threat of a shutdown looms.

Speaker Mike Johnson is moving ahead with a vote on a six-month GOP government funding plan that is expected to fail, a move that will put Republican divisions on full display but could then allow the Louisiana Republican to pivot as the threat of a shutdown looms. Johnson has announced that the House will vote Wednesday on the six-month funding extension, which includes a controversial measure that targets non-citizen voting. The speaker pulled a vote on the legislation last week after enough House Republicans came out against the spending plan to sink it. But Johnson has been under pressure from conservatives and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to take action on election security as Trump continues to sow doubts over election integrity in the run-up to November. Two GOP aides told CNN the plan to put the bill on the floor this week is aimed at demonstrating it will fail, which would 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. The GOP funding proposal is viewed as a non-starter for Senate Democrats and a “clean” funding extension that does not include the voting measure is widely viewed on Capitol Hill as the only viable way to avert a shutdown. Johnson faces a major challenge in navigating the government funding fight as he presides over an extremely narrow majority and has little margin for error.