Washington, Feb 3 (.) US President Donald Trump personally intervened Monday to shore up Republican support to pass his spending package, and managed to secure two “Yes” votes which have pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson very close to securing the required commitments for ending the government shutdown.
After meeting Trump at the White House, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett — both conservative holdouts — returned to Capitol Hill signalling they are prepared to vote “yes” on the procedural rule needed to bring the funding bill to the House floor.
The support of both the House Reps had been a questionable one, with the uncertainty of their alliance threatening to erode Johnson’s ability to advance the legislation given his razor-thin majority, according to Axios.
In exchange, the lawmakers said they were assured that the Senate would take up the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, a GOP-backed bill requiring proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Rep Luna said she had been told Senate Majority Leader John Thune could bring the measure forward using a “standing filibuster,” allowing a vote without the usual procedural hurdles. “We want to vote on voter ID in the Senate, and I think we’re going to get it,” she said.
Johnson said later Monday that he believes Republicans now have the votes to pass the rule on Tuesday — the key step before a final vote on the funding package.
Behind the scenes, the White House continued pressing the case. Senior aides James Braid and Jeff Freeland joined a meeting of the House Freedom Caucus on Monday evening, according to sources present.
The discussion focused on the SAVE Act’s path in the Senate and on conservative concerns about a two-week continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The aides argued that the short extension gives Republicans breathing room and stressed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is fully funded regardless of whether a full DHS appropriations bill is immediately passed.
Trump has also reportedly been working members directly. “He’s making individual calls, and he’s all in,” said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, adding that when the White House leans in, it usually gets results.
The private lobbying also echoed Trump’s public message on Truth Social, where he urged lawmakers to pass the Senate funding deal “WITHOUT DELAY” and warned that “there can be NO changes at this time.”
However, some conservatives are already conceding, with Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina announcing during a Rules Committee hearing that he would “reluctantly” vote yes, signalling that the resistance inside the GOP conference may be softening.
Still, the pressure on Johnson is far from over. His margin tightened further Monday after he swore in a new Democratic member, leaving him with just a one-vote cushion.
Even if the rule clears Tuesday, conservatives are demanding a seat at the table for negotiations on a full-year DHS funding bill and are pushing back hard against immigration enforcement reforms sought by Democrats, making Trump’s likelihood of avoiding yet another shutdown crisis an open question.
. . CDS