Calling it “unserious and unacceptable,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected on Monday a proposal from Speaker Mike Johnson that links continued government funding for six months with a measure to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
The response frames the spending battle to come over the next weeks as lawmakers work to reach consensus on a short-term spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Lawmakers hope to avoid a shutdown just weeks before voters go to the polls.
Johnson is punting the final decisions on full-year spending into next year when a new president and Congress take over. He’s doing so at the urging of members within his conference who believe that Republicans will be in a better position next year to secure the funding and policy priorities they want.
Frankly I don’t see a problem with this except that nowhere in the constitution does it say you have to be literate to vote. Nowhere does it say you have to speak English proficiently enough to handle word problem gymnastics. Wait. I do have a problem with this. This is just disenfranchising refugees/migrants. Y’know the poor and dispossessed lady liberty went on about? It’s like a fundamental part of our national identity.