House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of causing and exploiting a healthcare crisis to justify more than a trillion dollars in new spending tied to reopening the government. He said Democrats are holding up a clean budget resolution in favor of extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, which Republicans argue should be negotiated separately.

Johnson criticized Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, for blocking the bill in the upper chamber while the shutdown drags into its fifth week. He contended that Democrats passed the ACA without bipartisan support and that their policies have raised costs for taxpayers and insurance holders.

Emphasizing Republican priorities, Johnson said the GOP has taken steps to lower healthcare costs, increase access, and remove ineligible enrollees from Medicaid. He maintained that Democrats’ push for more subsidies benefits insurance companies rather than patients and denied that the ongoing shutdown centers on healthcare policy.