(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she’s frustrated a temporary funding bill to prevent a government shutdown October 1st was pulled before a vote was held in the U-S House yesterday (Wednesday).  “I think this whole process is broken. Both sides are to blame for the annual shutdown politics’,” Hinson says. “We talk about this, it seems, every year in September, so I’m tired of the continued gamesmanship and brinkmanship. I was prepared to support that going forward, to get us to the table, so start that negotiating process.”

Speaker Mike Johnson had developed a “continuing resolution” to fund federal government operations for six months, but eight Republicans signaled they would not vote for the plan. President Biden and Democrats in congress opposed it, too, because it included a proposal to require people to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Hinson voted for that election-related policy in July when it was a stand-alone bill.

IA (R) Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

“I would happily support it again,” Hinson says. “And I think the real question here is why do Democrats want to allow illegal immigrants to register to vote.” Democrats say it is already against the law for non-citizens to vote in federal elections and the measure is unnecessary. On Tuesday, former President Trump called on Republicans in congress to include the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act in the budget bill.  “States like California are issuing drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants and they have very lax voter laws on voter ID,” Hinson says, “and so when it comes to showing up at the polls and registering to vote, the outcomes of these elections could be impacted by people, who are not allowed to vote, voting illegally.”

Hinson is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where a dozen separate budget bills were developed, but none have not become law — so congress is resorting to one massive bill to fund the government. 1996 was the last time congress completed work on the federal budget on time.