As the federal government shutdown extends into its 20th day, Speaker Johnson has called for Senate Democrats to take action and bring an end to what has become the longest full shutdown in history. In a recent press conference reported by Mike Johnson’s official House website, Speaker Johnson, flanked by GOP leaders and members of the House Freedom Caucus, urged the opposition to move past their "protests and publicity stunts" and resume governmental operations. “Republicans are waiting. The American people are waiting. And we are ready to act,” Johnson proclaimed, highlighting the Republicans' readiness to end the deadlock.
Johnson lambasted the Democrats for their hand in crafting a dire milestone: "This is now the third longest shutdown in history." The speaker did not hesitate to label the move as the "most costly, most selfish, most dangerous political stunt in the history of the United States Congress." As essential services and paychecks remain on hold, Senate Democrats stand accused of indifference to the plights of "hardworking families, upon soldiers and law enforcement officers and veterans, the elderly and the disabled, women, infants, and children," a statement released detailed.
The political theater was not without its ironies, Johnson suggested, citing the recent "No Kings" protests led by high-profile Democratic Senators, including Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker. These events, meant to defy autocracy, paradoxically took place while the government—a democratic institution—remains shuttered. "But the great irony, of course, that we pointed out over and over, was if President Trump was a king, the government would be open," Johnson said, reflecting on past shutdowns where national parks and landmarks were closed to the public.
In highlighting the discord within the Democratic Party, Johnson referenced a few Democrats who have crossed lines due to shutdown-induced pressures, contrasting them with others steadfast in their positions. "You've got AOC calling for her own negotiations on live TV, and you've got Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries still unable to articulate what it is they need to reopen the government," he noted, pointing out the fragmented state of the opposition party. The GOP, represented by Senate Leader Thune, remains committed to pushing for a vote on the "clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution" that had previously garnered bipartisan support.
