McConnell opposes efforts to tie proof-of-citizenship voting bill to budget resolution that would avoid gov't shutdown

Efforts by the Freedom Caucus to risk a government shutdown in order to pass a voter integrity bill are opposed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office, according to a report.

Republicans and Democrats will have to come together on a continuing resolution by Sept. 30 in order to avoid a government shutdown, but some Republicans want to tie the motion to a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

'The most imminent threat facing the country, is the integrity of this election cycle.'

The legislation is called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility act, or SAVE for short.

The Hill report said that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is considering attaching the act to the budget resolution.

“I can verify for you that the SAVE Act is a big part of this conversation,” said Johnson.

“And it is not just the Freedom Caucus — it is members across the conference who share the same concern that we do about this," he added. "And we believe it’s one of the — perhaps the most urgent issue, the most imminent threat facing the country, is the integrity of this election cycle.”

However, Axios reported that McConnell's office has cautioned Johnson against including the motion because of the risk that Democrats would respond by adding their own motions to the resolution. Among those might be the John Lewis Voting Rights act, which is being prioritized by Democrats.

President Joe Biden has said he strongly opposes the bill to protect voter integrity, and Democrats control the Senate, making the bill difficult to pass. It was approved in the Republican-controlled House in July with support from five Democrats and all present Republicans.

The Biden administration has previously said it opposes the bill because it supposedly makes voting more difficult for some Americans.

"This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls," read a statement from the White House. "The evidence is clear that the current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working as intended — it is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in federal elections."

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