Chip Roy claims voters care more about election security than a possible government shutdown

Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy on Tuesday said voters care more about whether elections and the border are secure than whether the government is headed for a partial shutdown.

Congress is expected to reconvene in Washington, D.C., next week, where one of the top priorities will be pushing through funding bills in order to avoid the shutdown. The lawmakers will have just over three weeks to reach an agreement, or pass a continuing resolution that will give them additional time.

Roy did not indicate whether he would support allowing a partial government shutdown in order to secure bigger legislative victories, but said his priority was on keeping elections safe. 

"My constituents want [honest elections], they want a secure border, they don't really give two flying s***s about the government funding," Roy told Fox News. "I’m not going to play the shutdown game … the press wants to make it about a shutdown. Democrats want to make this about a shutdown.

"Our point is pretty simple. We’re offering to fund the government – all manners of sin, by the way, in that government – we’re willing to do that, but these guys need to make sure our elections are secure," he continued. "If [Democrats] want to shut the government down, that’s on them."

Some House Republicans approve passing a continuing resolution in order to keep the government funded a little longer, but have pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson to link the resolution with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which forces voters to show ID and proof of citizenship when voting in federal elections.

Johnson has not publicly commented on whether he would support linking the bill to the resolution, but Democrats have deemed the SAVE Act as a nonstarter. 

Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress will have until Oct. 1, to pass their funding bills or the continuing resolution. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.