House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday said Democrats were responsible for dragging the country into a government shutdown to satisfy their party’s radical left wing, urging them to reverse course and reopen federal operations.
“There’s nothing new in this legislation. There’s no poison pill, there’s no partisan tricks, there’s no gimmicks whatsoever. The only difference today is the man who is sitting in the Oval Office,” Johnson said during a Republican leadership press conference. “Rather than work with President Trump and Republicans to get this job done, as our party has done repeatedly in the same situation over the years, Democrats want to play political games with the lives and the livelihoods of Americans.”
“The simple truth is, Democrats in Congress have dragged our country into another reckless shutdown to satisfy their far left base. That is the truth, whether or not the government remains open or reopens is entirely up to them. There’s still time for Democrats to pass this clean, bipartisan bill that’s sitting before them, and we encourage our Democrat colleagues to do that. I certainly pray they’ll come to their senses soon, do the right and responsible thing.”
Johnson has repeatedly emphasized that the House bill is a “clean continuing resolution” (CR) with no partisan policy additions, noting that Democrats previously voted for the same funding levels. On Tuesday, before the deadline passed, he charged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with being “extremely selfish” in letting the shutdown occur. “We didn’t allow that to happen because I’m more responsible than that,” Johnson stated on CNN, explaining that when Republicans were in the minority, they still provided votes to avoid shutdowns. “Chuck Schumer has made the decision unilaterally. He’s the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, and he’s trying to keep the government shut down for his own personal reasons. It is extremely selfish and stunning to me that he is willing to do that.”
The Speaker has also highlighted past statements from leading Democrats criticizing shutdowns. His office aired a video loop outside the Capitol this week featuring remarks from Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and others who previously warned of the damage a shutdown would cause. “It is not normal to shut down the government when we don’t get what we want,” Ocasio-Cortez argued in 2019. Schumer himself remarked in 2024, “If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most. A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos.”
Jeffries cautioned in December 2024 that “families will be hurt. Farmers will be hurt,” while House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) emphasized in 2023, “It’s the service members who will work without a paycheck. It’s the firefighters who will be furloughed.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) told her social media followers that year, “This shutdown — you know who’s going to feel the pain? You know who it hurts? You. Every day people, and the most vulnerable. Seniors, veterans, working families, hungry kids, y’all.”
Despite their own warnings, Democrats have opposed the CR, seeking to use the short-term measure to extend programs such as Obamacare subsidies and reverse provisions from Trump-era reforms, including welfare limits tied to Medicaid. Republicans contend those debates should take place in longer-term spending negotiations rather than in an emergency extension.
Polling ahead of the deadline showed most Americans opposed Democrats’ strategy. A New York Times/Siena survey taken September 22–27 found 65 percent of voters indicated Democrats should not shut down the government if their demands are not met, while just 27 percent believed they should.
Johnson has described Schumer and Jeffries’ approach as a political stunt. Over the weekend, he noted the Democrat leaders are “trying to show a fight” by forcing the shutdown despite already voting for the same spending levels earlier this year. “There’s one reason, and one reason alone, that Schumer and Jeffries are doing this. They’re trying to show a fight,” Johnson said on Fox News. He pointed out the shutdown would jeopardize “troops’ pay… WIC funding, Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, FEMA services, telemedicine and telehealth, all the rest.”
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