Expert Available: Push for Stricter Voting Requirements Could Complicate Government Funding Talks

House conservatives are pushing to attach the SAVE Act to a crucial stopgap funding measure needed to prevent a government shutdown. While Speaker Mike Johnson is considering the move, it faces resistance from both Democrats and some Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. They argue that such a strategy could hinder bipartisan efforts to keep the government funded past September 30.

Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer commentary, insight and analysis on this matter. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Tayah Frye at [email protected] and Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].

Congress

Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management and host of its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GSPM, Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Burgat co-authored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, a textbook on all things Congress.

Immigration Policy

Elizabeth Vaquera is the inaugural Director of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and an Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University. Vaquera’s research focuses on vulnerable and diverse groups, particularly Latinos/as and immigrants. Her work has analyzed the character and importance of immigrant status, race, and ethnic identity in outcomes such as education, health, and emotional and social well-being. In addition to an extensive body of work published in leading peer-reviewed journals, Vaquera is the co-author of several books, the most recent of which, Education and Immigration, examines the educational experiences of immigrants and their children living in the U.S.

Law

Cori Alonso-Yoder is an Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering at the GW Law School. Alonso-Yoder is nationally recognized scholar on immigration legislation and the impacts of state, local and federal laws on immigrant communities. She specializes on the health policy of immigration.

Alberto Benítez is a Professor of Clinical Law; and Director of GW Law’s Immigration Clinic. Professor Benítez is an expert in Immigration Law. Benítez supervises students that handle a variety of immigration law matters including representing noncitizens, writing comments to proposed federal regulations, and disseminating information to the public. 

Aram Gavoor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professional Lecturer in Law, is an expert in American administrative law, federal courts and national security. Earlier in his career, Gavoor served as Senior Counsel for National Security in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Gavoor can discuss what a government shutdown could have meant for the court system and the legal implications it would have had on Americans.

-GW-