House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), is facing mounting internal pressure to reconvene the chamber immediately as the government shutdown drags into its second week with no clear end in sight.
A growing chorus of GOP lawmakers are voicing sharp frustration over the prolonged recess, warning that the optics of an empty House are undermining the party’s position and handing a political advantage to Democrats.
“Military pay should not be held hostage due to Washington’s dysfunction!” Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Virginia Republican who represents Norfolk’s massive naval base, wrote on X.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said that Johnson should bring the House back to Washington “for many reasons.”
“Everyone’s just getting destroyed,” Greene told CNN. “Look, Democrats, you created this mess. Republicans, you have no solutions. You haven’t come up with a new plan in place, and we’re not even talking about it, and it is hurting so many people.”
“Any serious speaker of the House is going to build consensus within his conference behind a plan,” Greene told CNN. “It’s not something secret that gets worked on in a committee.”
The shutdown strategy, which involved cancelling votes and keeping the House recessed, was a calculated gamble by Johnson and his leadership team. The bet was that an inactive House would increase pressure on Senate Democrats to acquiesce to a Republican spending bill and ultimately help reopen the government on GOP terms.
However, as the standoff enters its second week, neither side has shown signs of yielding. This has intensified the real-world impact of the closure, with federal employees receiving diminished paychecks on Friday.
These tangible consequences have amplified calls from within the Republican conference for Johnson to call members back to Washington.
Several Republicans are arguing that even if a comprehensive spending deal is unattainable in the short term, the House must reconvene to address the immediate crisis, particularly moving legislation that would ensure military service members are compensated.
The rumbling is creating a significant political headache for Speaker Johnson and his team.
The strategy of using an empty House as a pressure tactic is now proving to be a double-edged sword, as the inactivity is increasingly viewed by members of his own party as a liability that could ultimately backfire and benefit Democrats in the ongoing budget battle.
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