House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) held a press briefing Thursday, doubling down on his party’s position in the government funding standoff.
The government shutdown, which surpassed the previous 35-day record, entered into its protracted stage after Democrats repeatedly blocked a House-passed funding bill, demanding an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
During the briefing, Speaker Johnson dismissed the significance of Tuesday’s election results, which saw Democrats secure key victories in state and local races, including the mayoral race in New York. Johnson claimed the results were evidence that Democratic members in Congress are “beholden to the left wing of the party” and accused them of attempts to “rig the system” because they know they “cannot win on their policies”.
Regarding the financial impasse, Johnson maintained a firm stance, stating that he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats on their health care demands until they agree to reopen the government. He insisted that the House had passed a “clean” continuing resolution in September to keep services flowing, and framed the shutdown as Democrats wanting to spend an extra $1.5 trillion as a ransom.
Johnson warned that the impasse is “barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history”. The closure has led to significant fallout, including the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, service disruptions to programs like the federal food stamps, and even flight disruptions due to air traffic controller shortages.
The Democratic side, however, has grown more emboldened by the recent election results. Progressive groups have cited the wins as a sign that voters support the strategy to fight for ACA subsidies and foreign spending, urging Democratic lawmakers to hold firm in negotiations.
While some senators are working on a bipartisan compromise to resolve the stalemate, the core dispute remains: Democrats refuse to vote for the clean continuing resolution.
Johnson has indicated he would be prepared to call the House back into session within 48 hours if the Senate brokers a deal.
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