House advocates stopgap measure in upcoming government funding battle

The House Freedom Caucus has urged House Republican leadership to push for a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through the new year rather than approving an overall new funding package ahead of the election.

Deadline Complications

With a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government, lawmakers face a funding showdown when they return from their August recess next month. The deadline is further complicated by election-year politics.

The House Freedom Caucus, a small but vocal group of conservatives, has complicated recent funding fights for House Republicans. They urged GOP leadership to "ensure Democrats cannot undermine President Trump's second term with a 'lame duck' omnibus in December," pushing for a temporary measure to extend government funding into 2025.

The caucus believes that House Republicans should return to Washington to continue the work of passing all 12 appropriations bills to cut spending and advance their policy priorities. However, if Congress cannot do so in a matter of weeks, the group suggested that lawmakers should use a continuing resolution to extend the government funding deadline into the new year to avoid a lame duck omnibus that preserves Democrat spending and policies well into the next administration.

Rep. Andrew Clyde spoke alongside fellow Freedom Caucus members during a press conference on the government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on March 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. According to a report by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, the House Freedom Caucus is pushing for a temporary measure to extend government funding into 2025 to avoid a lame duck omnibus that preserves Democrat spending and policies into the next administration.

Preventing Non-Citizens from Voting

The Freedom Caucus indicated that the continuing resolution should include legislation that prevents non-citizens from voting. This issue has been highlighted by Republicans in recent months, despite only U.S. citizens being eligible to vote in federal elections. The Freedom Caucus argued that House leadership should use their leverage in the September spending fight to prevent non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections.