House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, forcefully rejecting claims that Republicans are to blame for the ongoing government shutdown and defending his party’s positions on a range of critical issues.
Speaker Johnson pushed back on a recent poll suggesting Americans hold the GOP more responsible for the funding lapse, arguing that this is not about a “political contest” and that “real people are losing.”
He stated that Democrats have voted 14 times to keep the government closed when they had the opportunity to allow paychecks, pay the troops, and fund essential programs like SNAP benefits.
The Speaker was unsparing in his criticism, asserting that Democrats shut the government down over a “$1.5 trillion wild partisan wish list,” specifically citing their demand for “restoring free health care to illegal aliens.” He accused the opposition of “playing games” and “quite literally using the people as leverage,” noting that the nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) and SNAP benefits are in jeopardy due to the impasse.
Defending Border Security and Strikes
On the topic of recent military strikes on alleged drug-running boats, Johnson offered a robust defense of the administration’s actions as a necessary measure to protect the homeland.
A constitutional lawyer, he affirmed his belief that the administration is on solid legal ground. He declared that “narco-terrorists will be treated like al-Qaeda,” highlighting the massive amount of fentanyl and other illegal narcotics flowing into the country and the devastating impact of these drugs on Americans. He emphasized that the intelligence informing the strikes is “very reliable” and that Congress maintains oversight.
Addressing Rep. MTG’s Healthcare Plan Delay Claims
Johnson also addressed internal Republican criticism, particularly from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, regarding the long-awaited GOP healthcare reform plan.
Greene had publicly accused him of refusing to provide a policy proposal to the conference, as the Tampa Free Press reported. RELATED: Maher Finds His Maverick: Georgia Rep. MTG Slams GOP Over Obamacare Failure
The Speaker called the claim “absurd,” explaining that discussing detailed, sensitive plans on a large conference call is strategically unwise because information is immediately “tweeted out by journalists.”
He confirmed that the relevant committees have been working on the final plan “around the clock for a long time.”
He promised that the Republican plan will be the one to “bring down the cost” of premiums, contrasting it with Obamacare, which he claims has caused premiums to skyrocket by 60%.
Filibuster and Swearing-In Delay
The interview also touched on the filibuster, which President Trump urged Republicans to terminate. Johnson defended the Senate rule, calling it a “safeguard against those worst impulses” of the far-left.
Finally, Johnson responded to a lawsuit alleging he is delaying the seating of Representative-elect Grahalva to prevent her from signing a discharge petition related to the release of the Epstein files.
He dismissed the claim as a “complete red herring” and a distraction from the shutdown. He clarified that he is simply following the “Pelosi precedent” by waiting to swear her in when Congress returns to a “regular session.”
The interview concluded with the Speaker expressing hope for progress in resolving the shutdown in the coming week.
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