Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., placed blame on former President Trump and Republicans for a potential partial government shutdown after the House failed to pass a stopgap spending measure on Wednesday. 

He filed cloture on Thursday in a procedural move in order to act as quickly as possible once the House passes a continuing resolution (CR), which is a short-term measure that would keep spending levels steady. 

“By filing today, I am giving the Senate maximum flexibility for preventing a shutdown,” Schumer explained in remarks on the Senate floor. Because he filed the vehicle sooner, a vote on a forthcoming CR could also take place sooner. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

“Democrats and Americans don’t want a Trump shutdown,” he said, dubbing a potential partial shutdown with the moniker of Trump’s name. “I dare say most Republicans — at least in this chamber — don’t want to see a Trump shutdown. And the American people certainly don’t want their elected representatives in Washington creating a shutdown for the sake of Donald Trump’s claims, when it’s clear he doesn’t even know how the legislative process works.”

The New York Democrat made the decision to file the legislative vehicle after the Republican-backed CR brought to the floor by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., failed, 202 to 220, with two members of his party voting “present.” Nine Republicans also voted against the six-month stopgap spending bill, which included a measure to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. Three Democrats voted in favor of it. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Lawmakers must pass a CR before the beginning of October to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

While Republicans in both the House and Senate have called for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to be included in a spending bill, Schumer and Democrats have made it clear that they aren’t willing to get on board with a package that includes what they consider a “poison pill.” 

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

Trump has sounded off on the spending fight, writing on Truth Social, “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.”

Schumer slammed the former president in his floor remarks, asking, “How does anyone expect Donald Trump to be a president when he has such little understanding of the legislative process? He’s daring the Congress to shut down.”

He further urged that “our Republican colleagues should not blindly follow Donald Trump.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday responded to Trump’s post, telling reporters, “the one thing I will tell you is I don’t think it’s to anybody’s political benefit, you know, this far out from an election to have a government shutdown.” 

In Schumer’s statement following the House’s failed vote and several times during his floor speech, he labeled a potential partial government shutdown as a “Trump shutdown,” foreshadowing how Democrats plan to cast blame on the presidential candidate and Republicans if a shutdown does ultimately take place. 

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

Republicans have privately expressed concerns that any potential partial shutdown would reflect poorly on the GOP, more so than the Democrats. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., recently told reporters that he didn’t believe Republicans had much leverage in the CR discussion. He also claimed, “I don’t think Chuck Schumer cares one bit if the government gets shut down, so long as Republicans can be blamed for it.”

“And if the government gets shut down, Republicans will be blamed for it,” he predicted. 

FIRST ON FOX: The head of immigration enforcement under former President Trump is seeking to sound the alarm about Vice President Kamala Harris’ “open borders” policies and the truth about the crisis at the southern border — just as Harris is claiming she is the right candidate to tackle the border.

Tom Homan, a Fox News contributor who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Trump, is preparing to engage in a series of virtual town halls with his nonprofit, Border911 Inc.

He intends for the town halls to bring awareness to the facts about the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border, including sex trafficking and the smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S.

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE

As part of that, Homan is challenging the narrative by Harris that she is tough on border security. A recent ad by Harris said that “fixing the border is tough, so is Kamala Harris.”

Border911 Inc., which is led by experts on border and national security from both Republican and Democratic administrations, is releasing a video that instead points to past comments by Harris that it says conflict with that narrative. 

They include her saying she was open to “starting from scratch” with ICE, decriminalizing illegal crossings, saying she supported “sanctuary” city laws and comparing ICE to the Ku Klux Klan as a senator.

“Kamala Harris wants everyone to believe she’s some border hawk now. But going all the way back to her days as DA in San Francisco, her statements and policies make it clear where she stands,” Homan, who served under multiple administrations, told Fox News Digital. “The fact is, she’s an open borders radical and, along with Joe Biden, she’s personally responsible for the current crisis.”

HARRIS SHIFTS POSITIONS ON BORDER, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AS CAMPAIGN PROMISES ‘PRAGMATIC’ APPROACH

Republicans and the Trump campaign have zeroed in on the border, including Harris’ role in tackling root causes of migration. They have linked the historic highs seen during the border crisis to the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies they see as having successfully brought the border under control.

Conservatives have sought to paint Harris as a radical on illegal immigration, pointing to many of the same remarks featured in the video, just as the Harris campaign has sought to present her as the right candidate for border security.

A Harris campaign adviser told Fox News last month that Harris’ positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Her campaign said she believes illegal border crossings are illegal and supports “continuing to ensure sufficient resources to enforce our laws and prioritize detention and removal for individuals who pose threats to public safety and national security, as well as ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and decisions, including removal.”

More broadly, it has pointed to her backing of the bipartisan Senate package that emerged from negotiations in the chamber earlier this year, which increases funding for the border, including ICE bed space and a mechanism to limit asylum entries into the U.S. Conservatives said that bill would only serve to codify high levels of illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“The only ‘plan’ Donald Trump has to secure our border is ripping mothers from their children and a few xenophobic placards at the Republican National Convention. He tanked the bipartisan border security deal because, for Donald Trump, this has never been about solutions, just running on a problem,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. 

“Like everything with Donald Trump, it’s never been about helping the country, it’s only about helping himself. There’s only one candidate in this race who will fight for bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security, and that’s Vice President Harris,” he said.

Homan, however, says he isn’t trying to tell voters who they should pick in November, just to present the facts.

“We want to show the American people the truth so they can make their own decisions,” he told Fox News Digital.

Warning: Graphic Materials

Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson denied involvement in an alleged pornography scandal that surfaced Thursday, vowing to remain in the race to become the Old North State’s next governor. 

CNN published a report Thursday afternoon alleging Robinson’s previous use of a pornography site, called “Nude Africa,” where he allegedly messaged with fellow users regarding peeping on women in locker rooms as a teenager, describing himself as a “black NAZI” and declaring a fondness for transgender pornography. 

Just before the report was published, Robinson posted a video to his X account vowing to stay in the race while calling the then-anticipated report “tabloid trash.” 

“Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash,” he said in the X video. 

NC GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACING CALLS TO DROP OUT AMID RUMORS OF LOOMING BOMBSHELL

CNN’s report alleged that Robinson used a pseudonym on the porn site, “minisoldr,” to discuss how he enjoys watching transgender pornography, as well as recounting how he allegedly peeped on women in a locker room as a 14-year-old.

“I came to a spot that was a dead end but had two big vent covers over it! It just so happened it overlooked the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched as several girls came in and showered,” Robinson allegedly wrote on Nude Africa of peeping on women as a teenager.

In another post in 2010, CNN reported Robinson allegedly stated, “I’m a Black Nazi!” while discussing Black Republicans. 

The alleged use of the chat forums played out between 2008 and 2012, according to CNN, well before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019, when he announced his run for lieutenant governor. 

REPUBLICAN MARK ROBINSON ON HISTORIC LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WIN: ‘THIS PARTY IS OPEN TO EVERYBODY’

Robinson pinned blame on his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, for leaking the allegations to the media. 

“North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor. Josh remains focused on winning this campaign so that together we can build a safer, stronger North Carolina for everyone,” Stein’s campaign told Fox News Digital. 

In comments to CNN, Robinson again denied the report. 

“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies.”

Reports mounted early Thursday that Robinson was allegedly facing pressure from Republican allies to drop out of the race after word spread that he was facing a damning news article related to his alleged use of adult websites in the 2000s.

Before the CNN report was published, Robinson’s campaign communications director patently said the reports were false. 

“Whomever your sources are here, it is complete fiction,” comms director Michael Lonergan told the Carolina Journal earlier Thursday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Robinson on Thursday, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

NRA SUPPORTS GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR WHO WENT VIRAL FOR PRO-GUN SPEECH: ‘I’M THE MAJORITY’

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) released a statement following CNN’s report, arguing it is the “latest proof that Mark Robinson is unhinged, dangerous, and completely unfit to be governor.”

“Now, as many Republicans warn against the damage Robinson would do as governor, it’s clear that the stakes have never been higher and we must keep our foot on the gas to defeat him in November,” DGA deputy communications director Izzi Levy said. 

North Carolina Republican Rep. Richard Hudson told Fox News that the “the allegations are very concerning,” but that he is not calling on Robinson to drop out of the race, as he needs to “have the opportunity to explain to the people in North Carolina exactly how these allegations aren’t true.”

“My hope is that the governor can reassure the people of North Carolina that the allegations aren’t true,” Hudson said. 

North Carolina outlet The Assembly published a separate and lengthy report on Sept. 3 alleging Robinson routinely visited porn shops, viewing materials in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to adult stores unfolded in the 1990s and 2000s, before his transition into the political sphere, according to the report. 

Lonergan denied the findings in The Assembly’s report, calling it “complete and total fiction.”

“This false and personal attack on my boss is complete fiction,” Lonergan told the outlet. 

Robinson assumed office as North Carolina lieutenant governor in 2021, becoming the first African American to hold the office. He announced last April he would run for governor. 

NORTH CAROLINA’S REPUBLICAN LT GOV MARK ROBINSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE DEMOCRAT GOV ROY COOPER

Robinson went viral in 2018 when he delivered an impassioned speech regarding gun laws during a city council meeting in Greensboro, before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel a gun show following the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year. 

“I’m a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody,” Robinson said at the meeting, which was viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it goes, which is at the shooter’s feet. You want to put it at my feet. You want to turn around and restrict my right.”

He previously worked as a furniture factory employee in North Carolina and is an Army veteran, before climbing the GOP’s political ladder, including earning endorsements from former President Trump and the NRA. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Several newly released polls have illustrated a tightening Senate race in Wisconsin, where Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., is fighting for her seat in a state that could very likely swing for former President Donald Trump in the presidential race. 

Likely voters in Wisconsin split 51% for Baldwin and 48% for Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde in a new Marist poll on Thursday. A new Quinnipiac poll similarly showed the Democrat leading Hovde by only a few points, 51% to 47%, and an AARP poll showed Baldwin at 50% and the Republican candidate at 47%, with 3% undecided.

In the AARP’s survey of voters over 50, Hovde managed to take the lead from Baldwin, beating her 50% to 49%. 

SCHUMER COINS ‘TRUMP SHUTDOWN,’ SLAMMING GOP AMID SPENDING FIGHT

As days dwindle down to the general election, with less than seven weeks to go, Hovde has continued to increase his name identification, and voters have increasingly started to lock in on their chosen candidates. The latest polls have subsequently demonstrated a close race for Baldwin’s Senate seat, despite her status as an incumbent. 

In prior polling from May by Quinnipiac, Hovde posted 42% to Baldwin’s 54%, with a double-digit gap between the two. By early August, he had climbed to 44% to the incumbent Democrat’s 51%, per a New York Times/ Siena College poll. The latest data continue this trend as Hovde appears to gain ground among Wisconsin voters. 

The Senate race is considered “lean Democrat” by top political handicapper the Cook Political Report, despite the shrinking gap. 

The close polling from three different organizations also comes as Baldwin faces increased scrutiny over her years-long relationship with private wealth adviser at Morgan Stanley, Maria Brisbane. She isn’t bound by Senate rules to disclose any information regarding Brisbane’s clients or finances because the two are not married. 

Hovde and groups backing the Republican have pointed to her partner’s position as a potential conflict of interest and called for it to be investigated. Baldwin was prompted to release her own ad, slamming the charges as “complete lie(s).” 

Notably, Wisconsin is a toss-up state in the Fox News Power Rankings forecast of the presidential election, giving neither Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris a particular edge in the battle. This holds weight in the Senate race, too, as split-ticket voting becomes increasingly rare. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

“Wisconsin is often a pivotal state in the Electoral College count,” said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, whose new poll showed Harris at 50% and Trump at 49%. “2024 is no exception and is shaping up to be a tight contest.”

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

During the 2016 election, every single Senate race went in the same direction as their state voted in the presidential contest. In 2020, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was the only occurrence of a Senate race diverging from the state’s presidential choice. Collins has established herself in the upper chamber as a bona fide moderate, to which many attribute her victory. 

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

In Baldwin’s case, she voted with President Biden more than 99% of the time in the beginning of the 118th Congress, according to FiveThirtyEight. Collins’ separation from her Republican Party colleagues was far more prominent than Baldwin’s from the Democrats, which was virtually nonexistent. 

Hovde also boasts the backing of Trump, who could boost the Republican Senate candidate’s campaign if he manages to beat Harris in Wisconsin.

The latest Quinnipiac poll was conducted over Sept. 12-16 using randomized phone calls with live interviewers of 1,075 likely voters in Wisconsin. It had a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points. The AARP poll was taken over Sept. 11–14, with live interviewers speaking to 1,052 likely voters. The margins of error for the poll of Wisconsin voters was ±4.0% and ±3.5% for the sample of voters over 50 years old. The Marist poll surveyed 1,431 likely voters in the state during Sept. 12-17 over the phone, by text, and online. The margin of error was +/- 3.6%. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

A former Border Patrol sector chief told lawmakers that he was blocked from informing the public about migrants who may be potential terror threats, as he says the Biden administration wanted to downplay the threat.

“In San Diego, we had an exponential increase in Significant Interest Aliens [SIAs]. These are aliens with significant ties to terrorism,” former San Diego Sector Chief Patrol official Aaron Heitke told lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee.

“Prior to this administration, the San Diego sector averaged 10-15 SIAs per year. Once word was out that the border was far easier to cross, San Diego went to over 100 SIAs in 2022, way over 100 SIAs in 2023 and more than that this year,” he warned. “These are only the ones we caught.”

‘OUR PEOPLE ARE DYING’: RACHEL MORIN’S MOM SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AFTER DAUGHTER’S MURDER

Heitke says he was told he couldn’t release information about that increase.

“At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests. The administration was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Heitke’s remarks.

EX-BORDER CHIEF WARNS OF ‘SIGNIFICANT THREAT’ AFTER MIGRANT NUMBERS SKYROCKETED UNDER BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN

The remarks came as part of a House Homeland Security Committee hearing called “A Country Without Borders: How Biden-Harris’ Open-Borders Policies Have Undermined Our Safety and Security.” 

Immigration is a top 2024 election issue, and Republicans have blamed Biden administration policies and the rolling back of Trump-era policies for the crisis.

“As we continue to witness Biden and Harris’ resistance to doing anything meaningful about this disaster, we have to ask — why? Why did they let this crisis take place and why have they let it continue,” Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told the committee.

Heitke also told the committee that he would release illegal aliens “by the hundreds” each day, and flights were provided to send migrants from San Diego to Texas, at approximately $150,000 per flight. He also testified that he had to shut down San Diego traffic checkpoints to divert resources to the border, and that those checkpoints are crucial for the interdiction of drugs like fentanyl.

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE SHREDS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ON BORDER CRISIS IN NEW REPORT: ‘ASSAULT ON THE RULE OF LAW’ 

Democrats and the administration have accused Republicans of failing to back funding and reform bills — including a bipartisan Senate bill released this year — and say that recent moves by the administration are working to bring down border encounters and secure the border.

“While you probably won’t hear it from those on the other side, border encounters are at their lowest level in years since the president’s proclamation on June 4, and encounters along the border and ports of entry have decreased by 55%, with Border Patrol recording the lowest number of border encounters since September 2020,” ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said at the hearing.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

– Senator Hawley rips Secret Service boss after exposé…

– Harris and Trump deadlocked in battleground state…

– Haitian Ohio community leader says America should be an ‘open country’…

Several Democrats responded overnight to news that the Teamsters, under General President Sean O’Brien, decided against issuing a presidential endorsement.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before big business,” O’Brien said in a statement.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. who, like O’Brien, hails from the Boston area, called former President Trump the “most anti-labor president we have ever had.”

“It’s clear that these workers are misinformed or uninformed about Trump’s record on labor,” McGovern told the Washington Times. “His allegiance isn’t toward working people.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, meanwhile, called the Teamsters’ decision “disappointing.”

The Teamsters have not made a non-endorsement since the 1996 contest between former President Clinton and Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. Their last GOP endorsement went to former President George H.W. Bush over then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988….Read more

SECURITY BREACH: Iran envoy Malley may have been on ‘classified White House call’ after clearance suspended, …Read more

1.3 MILLION ARRIVALS: Biden admin’s use of parole under scrutiny as numbers increase …Read more

‘DANGLING FREE MONEY’: Black think tank to blast Biden admin for ‘dangling free money’ while low-income households ‘suffer most’ …Read more

‘FREE AND FAIR’: Pelosi says Dem primary process was ‘open’ and Harris ‘won it’ …Read more

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: Top Republican details level of Secret Service resistance …Read more

CLOSE TIES: Top Dems have had long history with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs …Read more

‘IMMEDIATE ACTION’: Rick Scott leads effort to up Secret Service protections after 2nd assassination attempt on Trump …Read more

‘UNACCEPTABLE ANTISEMITIC BEHAVIOR’: House letter demands information regarding any reports of antisemitism on NIH funded universities …Read more

HAWLEY HELL: GOP senator unleashes on Secret Service boss after whistleblower’s Trump golf course exposé …Read more

BOLD PREDICTION: Trump offers his prognosis on the 2024 presidential election …Read more

NECK AND NECK: Harris and Trump deadlocked in battleground state as he trails in other ‘blue wall’ states: poll …Read more

‘STRUGGLING’ BUSINESSES: Hispanic voters in key swing state say economy making voters consider Trump …Read more

STOLEN GOODS: Harris campaign ‘not aware’ of any Trump docs taken by Iran sent ‘directly’ to Biden campaign …Read more

BADGER STATE BATTLE: The election kicks off today in a vital swing state …Read more

ALL EYES ON PENNSYLVANIA: Polls show Harris tied – or slightly leading – Trump in key swing state …Read more

NOT GOOD: Majority of Black swing-state voters back Harris, as Trump makes inroads with Black men: poll …Read more

WELCOMING CITY: Ohio Haitian community leader argues ‘America should be an open country’ …Read more

‘EPSTEIN 2.0’: How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ demise could expose wider web of dark secrets …Read more

PRESIDENT’S PERIL: Second assassination attempt against Trump shows he’s still in danger, experts warn …Read more

‘PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL’: Trump had security on par with Biden’s during attempted assassination on golf course, lawmakers told …Read more

STRETCHED & STRESSED: Secret Service squeezed as threats, protectee lists both expand …Read more

‘THREATS OF ASSASSINATION’: Alaska man arrested over threats against 6 SCOTUS justices …Read more

BUYER’S REMORSE?: California voters support rollback of crime law: poll …Read more

Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

It was a “show vote” of a different kind in the House of Representatives Wednesday night. 

The vote showed which Republicans opposed a combination bill to avoid a government shutdown and require that people prove they are citizens to vote. It’s known as the SAVE Act.

“You’ve got to own your votes,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., who advocated the two-step strategy to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “I have no problem with my votes or what I’m standing up on or trying to accomplish for the American people.” 

The vote also showed that Republicans can’t advance any semblance of a spending bill on their own. The vote showed long-standing divisions in the House Republican Conference. Some GOPers voted no for a panoply of reasons. Some oppose interim spending bills – known as “Continuing Resolutions” or “CR’s – to start with. Others opposed attaching the citizenship/voting mandate to a bill like this. Some didn’t think there was any way to implement the citizenship requirement for voting before the election.

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: THE SAME QUESTIONS ARISE AFTER SECOND ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP

It’s about the math. And the vote tally revealed that Johnson had little to show for his work.

Johnson’s plan crashed to defeat, 220-202. 14 Republicans voted no. Two Republicans voted present. Two Democrats voted aye. 

And the vote showed that the only way to avoid a government shutdown on October 1 is for Republicans to team up with Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is prepping an interim spending bill which will command bipartisan support. It’s likely the Senate adopts that measure, presenting the House with a take it or leave it proposition.

Wednesday night’s vote also showed that former President Trump is intent on forcing a government shutdown. He posted the following on Truth Social: “If Republicans don’t get the Save Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape or form.” Mr. Trump accused Democrats of “registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS.” The former President then warned that Republicans have “BEEN PUSHED AROUND LONG ENOUGH BY THE DEMOCRATS.” 

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., wants to trim spending. But this bill failed to do that, simply renewing all existing funding through late March. He also doubted it was feasible to put the citizenship provision into effect before November 5. Yours truly asked Mills if it was a “mistake” for Johnson to forge ahead with this vote.

“I think it is. I think that what we should be doing right now is that we’ve seen where these policy riders, this attempt to quote, unquote ‘jam the Senate,’ has continued to fail,” said Mills. “I’m disappointed with the way the 118th Congress has handled this entire session.”

Roy wasn’t in much of a better place than Mills – even though he supported the Speaker’s maneuver.

“We’re going to end up with a CR into December because certain people wanted to force this and be able to go out on Twitter and go down to the floor and pound their chest, that somehow, they’ve got the magic solution. But they’ve literally proposed no solution,” said Roy.

TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

This was a “show” vote of another form for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Greene was one of the two GOP members to vote “present” on the bill. To her, the vote was Johnson showing what he might to do next – even though Johnson had a pretty good idea the bill would implode. Greene opposes Johnson’s probable next move: avoiding a government shutdown with the assistance of Democrats.

“I think many of us have expected him to do that the entire time. You set up your expectations based on history of action. And that’s what his history of action is,” said Greene.

Greene knows of what she speaks.

Congress voted on six CRs or “omnibus” spending bills since September 30 last year. Most of those were under the stewardship of Johnson. That’s why some like Greene aren’t impressed with Johnson. This is the same playbook that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ran last year.

Perhaps voting to avoid a government shutdown last fall was the ultimate “show” vote. Shortly after that tally, House Republicans “showed” McCarthy the door.

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, has criticized Johnson’s Speakership. But Davidson characterized Johnson’s decision to forge ahead with the vote on this CR as “smart.” However, Davidson lamented fellow Republicans who wouldn’t go to the mat on this issue. Davidson suggested that other members were involved in “showing” where they stand on the issue. 

“I’m disappointed that you’ve got what I sort of informally call the surrender caucus. There’s no formal designation of who that is. But it’s a combination of bedwetters who won’t fight for anything. And purists who won’t fight for anything unless it’s perfect,” said Davidson. “What ends up happening is deals keep getting cut with Democrats and everything that gets funded by Congress turns left. I think we’re likely to see another surrender now with a hollow promise to fight later.”

“This is a complete failure of the Speaker’s strategy. Again, we weren’t here in the entire month of August. We could have finished our 12 separate appropriation bills,” piled on Greene. 

VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR’S CLAIMS ABOUT ‘FIGHTING’ LOBBYISTS COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM IN NEW REPORT

But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Johnson’s actions since last fall showed him something. Just as Greene observed, Cole noted Johnson’s past performance. And that track record showed that Johnson isn’t interested in government shutdowns.

“If he ever wanted to shut down the government, he’s had a lot of opportunities to do that since he’s been Speaker. He’s never let it happen. I don’t think he ever will,” said Cole. 

“We ran the play. It was the best play. It was the right one. So now we go back to the playbook, drop another play and we’ll come up with a solution,” said Johnson after the failed vote Wednesday.

So there’s an impasse. But Johnson must show that he has a really good new play. But if his members didn’t bite on the first play, why is the second one going to be much better? There are the beginning stages of a short-term bill which would run through mid-December. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the other GOP member who voted “present” on Johnson’s original bill. Massie believed it was a “show vote” from the start.

“It’s a fake bar fight with balsa wood chairs and sugar bottles,” said Massie. “I was in the bar and I saw theater on both sides.”

At some point next week, the Senate will skip through the parliamentary mechanics of an interim spending bill which runs through late fall or early winter. The provision about voting requirements drops by the wayside. The Senate will likely show the House that, despite reservations from some Republicans, it can pass a spending bill. It will then be up to the House to accept that bill or shut down the government just before the election.

That will likely be the last vote in Congress before the election. The shutdown is averted. And despite all the political gymnastics, the House will have little to show for it.

FIRST ON FOX: The head of immigration enforcement under former President Trump is seeking to sound the alarm about Kamala Harris’ “open borders” policies and the truth about the crisis at the southern border — just as Harris is claiming she is the right candidate to tackle the border.

Tom Homan, a Fox News contributor who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Trump, is preparing to engage in a series of virtual town halls with his nonprofit, Border911 Inc.

He intends for the town halls to bring awareness to the facts about the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border, including sex trafficking and the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE

As part of that, he is challenging the narrative by Vice President Kamala Harris that she is tough on border security. A recent ad by Harris said that “fixing the border is tough, so is Kamala Harris.”

Border911 Inc., which is led by experts on border and national security from both Republican and Democratic administrations, is releasing a video that instead points to past comments by Harris that it says conflict with that narrative. 

They include her saying she was open to “starting from scratch” with ICE, decriminalizing illegal crossings, saying she supported “sanctuary” city laws and comparing ICE to the Ku Klux Klan as a senator.

“Kamala Harris wants everyone to believe she’s some border hawk now. But going all the way back to her days as DA in San Francisco, her statements and policies make it clear where she stands,” Homan, who served under multiple administrations, told Fox News Digital. “The fact is, she’s an open borders radical and, along with Joe Biden, she’s personally responsible for the current crisis.”

HARRIS SHIFTS POSITIONS ON BORDER, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AS CAMPAIGN PROMISES ‘PRAGMATIC’ APPROACH

Republicans and the Trump campaign have zeroed in on the border, including Harris’ role in tackling root causes of migration. They have linked the historic highs seen during the border crisis to the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies they see as having successfully brought the border under control.

Conservatives have sought to paint Harris as a radical on illegal immigration, pointing to many of the same remarks featured in the video, just as the Harris campaign has sought to present her as the right candidate for border security.

A Harris campaign adviser told Fox News last month that Harris’ positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Her campaign said she believes illegal border crossings are illegal and supports “continuing to ensure sufficient resources to enforce our laws and prioritize detention and removal for individuals who pose threats to public safety and national security, as well as ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and decisions, including removal.”

More broadly, it has pointed to her backing of the bipartisan Senate package that emerged from negotiations in the chamber earlier this year, which increases funding for the border, including ICE bed space and a mechanism to limit asylum entries into the U.S. Conservatives said that bill would only serve to codify high levels of illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“The only ‘plan’ Donald Trump has to secure our border is ripping mothers from their children and a few xenophobic placards at the Republican National Convention. He tanked the bipartisan border security deal because, for Donald Trump, this has never been about solutions, just running on a problem,” spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. 

“Like everything with Donald Trump, it’s never been about helping the country, it’s only about helping himself. There’s only one candidate in this race who will fight for bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security, and that’s Vice President Harris,” he said.

Homan, however, says he isn’t trying to tell voters who they should pick in November, just to present the facts.

“We want to show the American people the truth so they can make their own decisions,” he told Fox News Digital.

A new poll suggests that support is dropping among all Americans for Taylor Swift’s efforts to encourage her legions of fans to vote in the upcoming elections.

Fifty-three percent of voters questioned in a Monmouth University national survey released on Thursday said they approved of Swift’s voter encouragement efforts – which she did last week in a social media post following the first and potentially only debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.

Swift, in her social media post, also endorsed Harris in the race to succeed President Biden in the White House.

Support for the pop star’s voter participation efforts is down 15 points from 68% in a Monmouth survey conducted in February, when Swift was in the spotlight for a debunked conspiracy theory surrounding the presidential election and the Super Bowl.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS’ LATEST REPORTING ON TAYLOR SWIFT

A baseless conspiracy theory at the time suggested that Swift was involved in a covert government plot to help Biden win re-election. 

Swift endorsed Biden in the 2020 presidential election and for years has encouraged her fans to vote. 

TRUMP MAKES BOLD PREDICTION IN HIS 2024 SHOWDOWN WITH HARRIS

The president suspended his re-election campaign following a disastrous debate performance in late June with Trump, and Harris replaced Biden two months ago atop the Democrats’ 2024 national ticket.

The new poll indicates that while support for Swift’s voter participation efforts remains high among Democrats – 87% in the new survey, unchanged from February – support has, not surprisingly, plunged among Republicans from an already low 41% earlier this year to just 20% now. Support among independents dropped from 73% to 52%, according to the survey.

“Republicans were wary of Swift all along. What we don’t know is whether this will have any effect on the part of her fan base who already leans right,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray highlighted in the poll’s release.

More than 400,000 people clicked on the vote.gov website in the 24 hours after Swift’s endorsement of Harris in a post that also included a link to the voter registration website. What’s unclear is how many of those people will actually end up voting and whom they’ll support in the presidential election.

Trump initially downplayed Swift’s endorsement of Harris in a “Fox and Friends” interview the morning after the debate. 

But on Sunday, Trump turned up the temperature, writing “I hate Taylor Swift” in a social media post.

The Monmouth University poll was conducted Sept. 11-15, with 803 registered voters nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are moving to protect U.S. service members’ paychecks in the event of a partial government shutdown.

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is re-introducing her Pay Our Troops Act on Thursday, with support from at least 20 fellow House lawmakers – 16 Republicans and four Democrats.

It comes a day after more than a dozen House GOP lawmakers helped defeat Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown by extending the current fiscal year’s funding levels through March, known as a continuing resolution (CR). 

IN THE ONLY STATE BORDERING RUSSIA, ALASKA GOVERNOR SAYS ITS DEFENSES ARE ‘STRONG’

The Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-held Senate must come to some agreement on federal funding by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown weeks before Election Day.

“It’s really important that we send that message to our military men and women, that they will receive a paycheck even with all the talk and uncertainty about funding the government,” Kiggans, herself a veteran, emphasized to Fox News Digital.

Her previous iteration of the bill, which netted 118 co-sponsors, was introduced in late September 2023 – when Congress was similarly barreling toward a partial government shutdown with no agreement in sight until the 11th hour.

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Johnson’s bill would also have included the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which adds a proof of citizenship requirement to the voter registration process – a bill Democratic leaders have deemed a nonstarter.

Three Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for his plan, while 14 Republicans who were mainly opposed to a CR on principle helped defeat it.

Johnson, R-La., however, has consistently vowed not to let the government shut down. 

But Kiggans’ bill is a sign that Republicans are growing anxious about the possibility of federal programs stalling and potentially thousands of workers being furloughed.

The legislation would extend pay for all service branches, including the Coast Guard, which Kiggans said had been left out of military funding protections in past shutdowns.

COAST GUARD OFFERS UPDATE ON DEADLY TITAN SUBMERSIBLE IMPLOSION NEARLY ONE YEAR LATER

“It also covers for some defense contractors and civilians that are also essential to military service,” she said. “It just provides that reassurance we don’t need our military families to be worried about [whether they are] going to get a paycheck or not.”

Asked whether the Wednesday vote made her more nervous about the prospect of a shutdown, Kiggans said there was “a lot of uncertainty in this Congress.”

“I am disappointed that we weren’t able to pass the funding bills in a timely manner. I think the American public would agree,” Kiggans said.

She said she would have preferred spending some of the August recess working on the 12 appropriations bills that Congress must pass every year rather than scramble for more time with a CR.

“Am I surprised it didn’t pass? Well it’s – I wish it was different, and we had passed it,” Kiggans said of Johnson’s conservative CR, which the speaker’s allies hoped would be a strong opening salvo in the House’s negotiations with the Senate.

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“But we’ll have to continue to work, and hopefully we’ll get something passed soon,” Kiggans said.

She said her office made Johnson aware that her bill was being prepared but cautioned the legislation would likely not be deployed for a House-wide vote unless a shutdown was imminent.

“That’s my gut instinct, is that they probably will not bring it to the floor unless we are really faced with the reality of that,” Kiggans said.