Welcome to the second act of Shutdown Theater. We're negotiating film rights and are working with HBO to develop a high-concept, glitzy limited series for adult viewers. Sort of a "House of Dragons" meets "Industry."

When last we left our anti-heroes, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Plank-Walking) was in the process of coming up with a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government past the October 1 deadline. The Freedom Caucus was beginning its own off-Capitol Hill production of "Chicken" with Democrats. This time, it's a threat to shut down the government unless Democrats get behind the SAVE Act (the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act ). 

Now, Donald Trump has upstaged the Freedom Caucus and is demanding the inclusion of the SAVE Act in the CR that the House may vote on as early as Wednesday.

“If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

I think he means it.

This CR would fund the government through March 25, 2025. It's already in danger of being scuttled by the right and left, which, if you've been following the plot, you know is par for the course.

As Act II of Shutdown Theater opens, we find Speaker Johnson frantically trying to round up the remaining six or seven GOP members who have not committed to voting for the CR.

He will fail. And the surreal element of this tragicomedy is that it's all for naught. Senate Democrats won't touch a bill that contains the SAVE Act, and Biden would never sign it.

So why bother? Because it sends a "signal." No one has explained what kind of "signal" and who Republicans are trying to "signal." If they're trying to signal fellow Republicans it's a poor signal since it's an abject failure. If they're trying to signal potential GOP voters, why use a useless, failed legislative gimmick?

No matter. A signal is a signal is a signal. I'm sure the people that the House Republicans are signaling will get the message — whatever it is.

It doesn't appear that the plot is going Johnson's way.

Politico:

But Johnson’s pushback is still largely coming from his right flank. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of the members who has publicly stated he will oppose the plan, told his colleagues and the speaker that the package has “fairy tale levels of believability,” according to a person in the private meeting.

And it’s not just conservatives. Part of Johnson’s headache is that the opposition to his plan is coming from multiple GOP factions. He’s got conservatives on his right who generally don’t support any government funding bills and are questioning why they would do so now if it’s doomed in the Senate. At the same time, he’s got defense hawks who are worried about the impact a six-month spending patch would have on the Pentagon.

House Democrats are expected to almost universally vote against the package in the scheduled floor vote on Wednesday, though attendance issues could complicate the party’s opposition efforts.

One Democrat will defy Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and vote for the CR. Vulnerable Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) will vote for the funding bill because he thinks the SAVE Act is necessary.

"I agree with [the SAVE Act], so what would my reason to not vote for it be?" Golden told Axios, adding that it is "a pretty bad idea to shut down the government."

“I think the Democrats will hold together and unite,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. “This is a reckless bill.”

Just because a Democrat criticized the bill for spending too much money does not mean that Shutdown Theater is a comedy.

“Why would extreme MAGA Republicans put a bill on the floor that they know is dead on arrival, might not even have the votes to pass the House, and certainly will see no daylight in the United States Senate," asked Jeffries.

For the answer to that question and much more, join us soon for the next thrilling installment of Shutdown Theater!