House Speaker Mike Johnson joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the government shutdown and criticize Democrats for blocking the clean funding bill and leaning to the far left.
With little sign of the federal government shutdown ending any time soon, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says partisan gridlock is to blame.
“This is the first time in history that a party has chosen to shut down the government on a clean (continuing motion). They’re playing a game, and it’s that simple,” Johnson said Tuesday. On “Mornings with Maria”
He added, “That’s why the two House Democrats, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, are afraid of their far-left wing – they’re afraid they’re going to be challenged in New York because Marxism is in full swing and they’re going to lose their seats.” “So they’re feuding. It doesn’t make any sense. And real people are getting hurt.”
Forecast markets indicate the government shutdown could last until mid-November
The US government has entered its third week of a federal shutdown, as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans remain at odds with Democrats over healthcare subsidies. Fox News reported.
Speaker Mike Johnson (center) places responsibility for government shutdown challenges on Democrat Representative Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Senator Chuck Schumer (right). (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has squarely blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which led to thousands of federal layoffs, halted billions in infrastructure funding and decimated local economies across the country.
Last Thursday, senators failed for the 10th time to break the impasse, leaving the government shutdown unresolved. Meanwhile, the House is adjourned since September 19 and is not expected to resume until the shutdown ends.
“More than a month ago the House did its job, and we passed a clean continuing resolution – a completely non-partisan, 24-page, very simple piece of legislation to keep the lights on,” Johnson said.
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram joins ‘Varney & Company’ to report on House Republicans’ push to end the Senate filibuster on spending bills and how the move could reframe the ongoing government shutdown fight.
Johnson accused Democrats of pushing a “dirty” proposal that he claimed would increase more than a trillion dollars in new spending, including health care benefits for illegal immigrants and $200 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid.
Johnson also confirmed this President Trump is directly involved The government is negotiating a way out of the shutdown.
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Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., discusses the government shutdown and President Donald Trump’s Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement on ‘Mornings with Maria’.
“The President and I, and Leader (John) Thune, sat down with Chuck Schumer … and Hakeem Jeffries … before this all started in September. And the President himself begged both of those leaders, ‘Please, guys, vote for us. Don’t shut down the government,'” Johnson said.
Johnson said a handful of Democrats have come forward to support the GOP proposal, but not enough to end the impasse.
He said, “We have three Democrats … who have voted with the Republicans because they don’t want to hurt the American people. But we need five more to step up and do the right thing. That’s the impasse.” “On the Republican side, there is nothing we can do except continue to offer consistent proposals.”
Fox News’ Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
