Johnson unveils Trump-backed House GOP plan to avoid government shutdown, sets up battle with Schumer

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled a plan to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of this month during a lawmaker-only phone call Wednesday morning.

Johnson is aiming to hold a vote on the measure as soon as possible, likely next week, two sources familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.

House GOP leaders hope to link a short-term extension of this fiscal year's federal funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to a Republican-backed bill known as the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. That measure would require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process in a bid to crack down on GOP concerns about noncitizens participating in U.S. elections. 

The bill would punt the federal funding fight to March, when a new administration and a new congressional term will dictate how the next shutdown showdown will play out.

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Five Democrats voted for the SAVE Act when it passed the House in July, but their leaders are largely opposed to the measure and have panned it as unnecessary since it is already illegal to vote in federal elections as a noncitizen.

Meanwhile, senior Republican lawmakers had called for a short-term funding extension into December rather than risking a traffic jam of legislative deadlines in the new year. 

Johnson said on the call, however, that his plan has "a lot of merit" and reasoned a December CR would likely necessitate another one into the new year anyway, one source familiar with the call said.

Other Republicans also raised concerns during the 30-minute call, multiple sources said.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., confirmed to Fox News Digital that she suggested pairing a CR with some measure to compel Democrats to act on the border crisis, which has roiled her New York City district.

She specifically suggested pairing a CR with the Laken Riley Act, named after a college student allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant, which would detain and deport migrants who commit illegal acts. 

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"We should offer a menu of options, but Democrats should do something to help stop the chaos," she said, pointing to New York Post reports that suggest illegal immigrants are overwhelming New York City's judicial system. 

When asked if she would support the plan Johnson offered without those measures, she said, "Let's see."

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital he's opposed to the plan because the CR would fall short of a mandatory 1% government spending cut that would be triggered if a CR was in effect by April 30.

"Speaker Johnson has this teed up in front of him. The 1% cut is in law. All we need is a one-year CR to queue it up. And when the April 30 deadline arrives he could even trade the cut for something. But he's afraid to even create a spending cut deadline," Massie said.

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Meanwhile, two sources said Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., questioned what Johnson's answer would be if the Senate sent back a "clean" short-term spending patch with no attachments.

He said a partial government shutdown would threaten the House's 10 most vulnerable Republican incumbents, per the sources. One of the two sources said Johnson responded that their plan was worth having the fight and said the GOP could not blink.

Another GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital after the call said, "If we shut down, we lose."

The bill is expected to need a simple majority to pass, a tough task given Johnson's razor-thin House majority. 

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who is retiring at the end of this year, said outright on Tuesday that he would oppose the plan. 

It does have a significant backer in former President Donald Trump, who urged House Republicans to leverage a shutdown to get a March CR plus SAVE Act passed during an appearance on Monica Crowley's podcast earlier this week.

If it passes the House, the plan is highly unlikely to be taken up by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, however.

Schumer, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital of the plan, "As we have said each time we’ve had a CR, the only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way and that is what has happened every time."

A spokesperson for Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who is spearheading the CR plus SAVE Act plan, responded, "The majority leader's comment is encouraging, given that the SAVE Act passed with bipartisan support in the House."