GOP plan to link citizenship voting requirement to spending bill criticized by Schumer.

Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate, does not seem to be backing down from his recent demand for a Trump-supported voting bill to be included in a crucial spending bill that must be passed at the end of the month.

Schumer stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the only way to accomplish tasks is through bipartisan cooperation, which has been the case every time a CR has been implemented. When asked if the measure's inclusion would be a nonstarter for Democrats, he reiterated this stance.

On a conference call Tuesday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled a six-month spending plan known as a continuing resolution (CR) that would maintain current fiscal year spending levels through March and incorporate the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a Republican bill requiring voter registration proof of citizenship.

To prevent a partial government shutdown at the end of the month, a spending deal must be reached, and the SAVE Act has been advocated for by several conservative Republican members of the House and Senate in the weeks leading up to Congress' return from the August recess.

Schumer's office did not provide a comment to Planet Chronicle Digital in time for publication.

The SAVE Act has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and he has also expressed support for a six-month, short-term spending bill that includes it, as Johnson recently revealed.

The SAVE Act, authored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and supported by both parties in the House, has been included in a stopgap spending bill, as stated by a spokesperson for Rep. Roy.

In July, the measure passed the House with a vote of 221-198. Five Democrats joined the Republicans in supporting the bill, making it technically bipartisan. The Democrats who voted in favor of the bill were Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

Schumer may not be satisfied with the backing from Democratic members of the House for a bipartisan deal.

The Democrat-controlled Senate has not yet voted on the bill, and the majority leader is unlikely to schedule a vote.

The Biden-Harris administration has previously stated that the bill is unnecessary since it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote.

"The bill is punishable by prison and fines, as stated in a July administration policy, but its alleged justification is based on falsehoods that can be easily disproven."

Supporters of the SAVE Act believe that including it in the stopgap spending bill will force Schumer and Senate Democrats to vote on it and publicly state their stance.

Although Johnson supports the conservative members' stance, McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, has not endorsed it. A Senate GOP aide revealed last week that McConnell's top priority is preventing a government shutdown and keeping it open.