Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated Monday the federal government shutdown is on its technique to being one of many longest in historical past except Democrats settle for the Home-passed, GOP-crafted stopgap invoice to reopen the federal government.
“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history, unless Democrats dropped their partisan demands and passed a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers,” Johnson stated in a press convention on the thirteenth day of the federal government shutdown.
Congressional leaders have been locked in a standoff over authorities funding as Democrats demand that Republicans make concessions on well being care, notably Inexpensive Care Act tax credit which can be expiring on the finish of the 12 months. Republican leaders have refused to barter on well being care throughout a shutdown, arguing that that Democrats should settle for the “clean” funding stopgap the Home handed in September — and which has did not advance within the Senate seven instances.
The shutdown, 13 days and counting, already marks one of many longest federal authorities funding lapses in trendy historical past.
The longest authorities shutdown, which was additionally the final time a federal funding lapse occurred, was from 2018 to 2019 throughout President Trump’s first time period, lasting 35 days.
The second-longest shutdown below former President Clinton lasted 21 days, whereas funding lapses below former President Obama in 2013 and former President Carter in 1978 lasted 17 days.
“Republicans are eager to return to the actual negotiating table to finish out full-year appropriations and do work on all the other matters before us, but we won’t negotiate in smoke-filled back rooms, and we won’t negotiate as hostages,” Johnson stated Monday.
The Speaker has stored the Home in an prolonged recess throughout the shutdown, canceling weeks of beforehand scheduled votes as Republicans purpose to stress Senate Democrats into accepting their stopgap funding measure.
Some Republicans have voiced discontent with that tactic, arguing that the chamber might work on measures like common full-year appropriations payments and different laws even throughout a shutdown.
Johnson, although, defended the transfer.
“You can poll individual House Republicans, maybe you should, and 98.7 percent of them will tell you that this is the right thing,” Johnson stated.
“We are working on appropriations,” Johnson stated. “The next package of bills is being prepared.”
“I don’t know what the Democrats are doing, but the House Republicans have been very busy. They’re doing some of their best work in the district, helping their constituents navigate this crisis that’s been created by [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] and the Democrats. The Schumer Shutdown, it causes real pain for real people, veterans, the elderly people who rely upon these services,” Johnson added.
