Government shutdown

AP News - Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a vote Wednesday on a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies and programs funded for six months when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1. The move comes as it was becoming clear the measure lacked the votes to pass.

EARLIER

NPR -  A government shutdown looms as Congress must pass a stop-gap spending bill before the end of the month. The House is set to vote today on an opening offer from House Republicans that will begin the negotiations. Republicans want to attach what they call the SAVE Act to the bill, which would require voters to prove citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting. The partisan bill is drawing opposition from Democrats and some Republicans. 

NPR’s Claudia Grisales says Trump weighed in on the topic yesterday, saying Republicans shouldn’t agree to anything unless the provision is in the temporary funding plan. Democrats on the other hand want a relatively straightforward temporary funding bill that perhaps includes some disaster aid. Grisales says it's common for one or both sides to begin negotiations with proposals they know will never get passed — usually to prove a political point. Democrats and some moderate Republicans say the way out is to fund the government and leave the fights to the side.