House Shutdown Vote: 14 Republicans Reject, 3 Democrats Support Mike Johnson's Bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal that would have linked temporary funding for the federal government with the SAVE Act failed the floor vote on Wednesday. As many as 14 Republicans and three Democrats went against party lines while casting their votes. Next steps on government funding are uncertain. If lawmakers fail to reach a deal by October 1, the federal government will run out of funds. The vote on Wednesday was 220-202. Now, Johnson will likely pursue a Plan B to avoid a partial shutdown. He pulled the bill from consideration last week because it lacked the votes to pass. The speaker worked through the weekend to win support from fellow party members, but was unable to overcome objections. Read More: Haitians In New York Protest Over Trump's Pet Eating Comments: 'We Don't Eat Pets, We Vote'“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 said on the social media platform Truth Social.Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump earlier in the day urged his party members to not pass the bill, unless it contains the SAVE Act, which would require new voters to provide proof of citizenship. Johnson said it is a serious problem because even if a tiny percentage of noncitizens do vote, it could determine the outcome of an extremely close race. He noted that Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa won her seat back in 2020 by six votes.Read More: Watergate 2.0? FBI Says Iranian Hackers Sent Trump Data To Joe Biden's Team“It's very, very serious stuff and that's why we're going to do the right thing,” Johnson said. “We're going to responsibly fund the government and we're going to stop noncitizens voting in elections.”House Democrats said the proof of citizenship mandate should not be part of the continuing resolution to keep the government funded and urged Johnson to work with them on a bill that can pass both chambers.“This is not going to become law," said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. "This is Republican theatrics that are meant to appease the most extreme members of their conference, to show them that they are working on something and that they’re continuing to support the former president of the United States in his bid to demonize immigrants.”(With AP inputs)