Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Monday blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, as President Donald Trump and his budget team moved forward with identifying federal programs to cut. “Day 27 means it’s almost been a full month since the Democrats shut down the government,” Johnson said, highlighting the impact on federal workers. Last week alone, 1.4 million workers missed a paycheck, including essential employees such as TSA agents, air traffic controllers, Border Patrol personnel, and military service members. Many of these workers are continuing to perform critical duties without pay, leaving families at risk of financial hardship. Johnson emphasized that the Trump Administration has been attempting to find internal funding solutions, but options are becoming increasingly limited.
Johnson stressed that Republicans in Congress have repeatedly voted to reopen the government, but they lack the Senate votes necessary to do so on their own. “It’s a simple math problem. We need Democrats to help. You need 60 votes in the Senate. We only have 53 Republicans,” he said. He accused Democrats of voting repeatedly to keep the government closed while attempting to distract the public with other issues, insisting that the facts are clear: Democrat support is required to end the shutdown, yet they have refused to do so. Johnson also argued that Democrats’ demands for reopening include controversial provisions, such as $200 billion in health benefits for noncitizens, funding for foreign programs, half a billion dollars to left-leaning news organizations, and cuts to rural hospitals.
The Speaker concluded that Republicans cannot agree to these terms. “We cannot, we will not do those things,” Johnson said, maintaining that Democrats are fully aware of the consequences of their stance. He framed the situation as a direct result of Democratic refusal to compromise, asserting that the American public is suffering while partisan politics continue. According to Johnson, ending the shutdown requires cooperation from Democrats to prioritize the needs of hardworking Americans over ideological or policy-driven demands.
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