Speaker Mike Johnson is working to assuage worries within his conference about his strategy of keeping the House indefinitely out of session until Senate Democrats vote to end the government shutdown.
Johnson met Thursday afternoon to discuss the matter with Rep. Jay Obernolte, one House Republican who has been more vocal than most in his fears about the political optics of the leadership-driven gambit, which could make the GOP appear to be shirking its responsibilities.
The California lawmaker sat down with Johnson in the speaker’s office to relay his concerns, which have only grown since the shutdown began Oct. 1, according to two Republicans with direct knowledge of the matter. The House took its last vote nearly a month ago.
Obernolte recently pressed Johnson during a House GOP conference call, about when he would recall members to Washington. Johnson and fellow GOP leaders reiterated they would do so after Senate Democrats stop blocking the House-passed funding patch.
The mild-mannered Obernolte, a former state assembly member and mayor, is not normally a thorn in Republican leadership’s side. But he represents a district with five military bases that have been hit by the shutdown.
He indicated in a brief interview Thursday, following his meeting with Johnson, that he asked the speaker to consider reconvening the House. The speaker, Obernolte said, had “good answers” in response.
Obernolte declined several times to say whether he believed Johnson’s strategy of keeping the House out of session was the right decision.
“It was us having a discussion about the various decision factors,” Obernolte said of his conversation with Johnson.
“I think … Job One for everyone is to get the federal government reopened,” he continued, though he added he was hearing deep “frustration” from his constituents about the shutdown — which he cited as a reason for leaders to quickly find a solution.
While President Donald Trump found a temporary way to shift funds to pay troops for the Oct. 15 pay period, Obernotle said he’s still worried about future military paychecks, along with hundreds of furloughed civilian workers in his district.
“This is going to last, and it’s not fair to ask our federal workers to be working without a paycheck,” Obernolte said. “Frustration that the United States Congress is so dysfunctional that we can’t even agree on a way of keeping the government open on a short term basis — hear all of it on a daily basis.”
“I wish we could reopen the government. … I think it sets a terrible example for our country,” he continued. “It’s terrible for our troops. … It’s an altogether bad situation.”
As for possible offramps to end the shutdown stalemate, Obernolte said he doesn’t support directly tying an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies to the House-passed stopgap, as Democrats demand. But he does support Republican leaders talking more about possible future votes regarding the fate of the health insurance credits.
“I’m a pretty bipartisan guy. I don’t think we do enough talking across the other side,” Obernolte said.
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