DALLAS — House Freedom Caucus members Saturday defended Speaker Mike Johnson for having a proof of citizenship voting measure in his stopgap spending proposal and offered ways to blunt the pain of any potential government shutdown.

The conservative Republicans, when they attended the first annual State Freedom Caucus Network summit in downtown Dallas, during interviews with the Washington Times said that some moderate Republicans or Democrats fighting the proposal will not deter conservative Freedom Caucus members from supporting Mr. Johnson.

“They’re gonna say, ’we’re not gonna do it and you’re gonna shut the government down.’ My response, ’bring it. On. Do it,’” Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina said. “And Mike Johnson, I don’t think he would put this forward if he wasn’t willing to follow through with it. Meaning, hold our ground.”

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Mr. Norman added, “Let them shut it down, and you’ve got all kinds of modified shutdowns. We can pass a bill that funds the military, funds different programs that are hot-button items for the [Rep.] Don Bacons [of Nebraska] or the [New York] Rep. Michael Lawlers.”

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration. It passed the House this year with the support of five Democrats, but their renewed support of this stopgap bill is not guaranteed.

“What we’re trying to put forward is a bill that would freeze spending, check spending through March, take the pen out of the hands of Democrats so they can’t advance any more weaponized government and try to ensure that only American citizens vote in American elections,” Mr. Roy said.

The Texas Republican continued, “If we’re largely freezing spending for six months and not letting Democrats add ridiculous policies with Chuck Schumer in the Senate and this White House in December, and if we’re fighting to make sure only American citizens can vote, tell me what’s wrong with that.”

Mr. Johnson will need near unanimity among the GOP to pass the temporary spending bill, but that will be a tough battle with not just Democrats but with members of his own conference. 

Some Republicans fear that while Mr. Johnson’s plan will force Democrats to go on record again regarding the SAVE Act, it’s a political gamble that could drive the government to partially shut down. 

The measure is slated for review in the House Rules Committee, meaning that a vote on the floor could come by the middle of next week.

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona wondered if there were other options between doing a temporary spending measure and five appropriation bills.

“Is there an option where you take the five bills that you have and transmit them to the Senate, and then do the balance of the budget through the CR?” he suggested. “Is there that type of option available?”

“No one is really talking about any other option and that is the problem with the town… we’re going to do the same thing we did last time, and we’re going to just redo it again,” Mr. Biggs said.

“And we hope that we can change because my question would be, is what do you think is going to happen differently with March, even if it’s President Trump, are you going to be going back to your 12 approps bills?”

Mr. Biggs noted that the Freedom Caucus proposed an option over a year ago that would fund active military personnel, military veterans and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“So, if we don’t get a budget by September 30,” he said, “Then you’re effectively funding about 97% of your budget anyway, because 85 plus is on autopilot, and now you’ve just taken off those other critical issues of national security.”

Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois said it was “important” to not be running the deadline up to Christmas recess “to fund the government. So, if we could leap over that, that could be better.”

Ms. Miller lauded the addition of the SAVE Act and said it was a winner with American voters across the country.

She said, “Polls are showing the American people want to know that their elections are safe and secure and that non-citizens aren’t voting in them.”

“And it doesn’t matter if we’re talking Black, Latino or low-income voters, they all don’t want non-citizens voting. They want secure elections.”

Democrats, although fine with the timing of the funding bill, excoriated Mr. Johnson and the GOP conference over the addition of the SAVE Act and the lack of extra funding for the Veterans Affairs Department and natural disasters. 

While Republicans did introduce a separate supplemental spending package that would address $3 billion of the $15 billion total shortfall for Veterans Affairs, Democrats want more.

VA officials warned Congress in July that they expected to outspend their current and next year’s budget because of a surge in veterans seeking benefits because of toxic exposure.

“Even with the introduction of a separate supplemental funding bill, House Republicans are jeopardizing their care by kicking the can down the road until March and failing to fulfill the promises we made to veterans exposed to toxic substances,” said Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Alex Miller contributed to this report from Washington D.C.