Mike Johnson heaps pressure on Chuck Schumer, shuts House down
Senator Lankford proposes bill to prevent government shutdown
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., join ‘The Faulkner Focus’ to discuss the failed vote to pay federal workers entering their first week without pay during a government shutdown.
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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., canceled House votes for a fourth consecutive week as the government shutdown showed no sign of ending.
Johnson’s move is part of an ongoing strategy of pressure on Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY), who has sunk the GOP’s federal funding plan 12 times since the House passed the measure on Sept. 19.
September 19 was also the last day the Parliament was in session, meaning MPs had been mostly in their home districts for more than a month.
Republicans are pushing for a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 spending levels through Nov. 21 to give congressional negotiators time to hammer out a longer-term deal for Fiscal Year 2026.
SCREAMING MATCH BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND MIKE LAWLER IS AIRING AS THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) is canceling House votes to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (L) for refusing to accept the GOP-led plan to avert a government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Democrats angry at being sidelined in federal funding debates withhold their support For any spending bill that does not also extend Obamacare subsidies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which expire at the end of this year.
Johnson’s decision was made public in a brief pro forma session in the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon. According to the rules set by the constitution, the parliament must meet for short periods, called “pro forma” sessions, every few days to ensure continuity, even if there are no matters related to official legislation.
Pro forma hearings can also be opportunities for lawmakers to make short speeches or introduce legislation they might not otherwise have.
While Democrats criticized Johnson’s decision, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) told reporters that House Republicans have been “on vacation for the last four weeks.”
The government shut down because Congress could not reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
But Republicans remained largely united behind Johnson as the shutdown continued.
But there were a few notable departures. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif. and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have been public about their criticism of Johnson’s strategy for weeks.
“I believe very strongly that this was the wrong decision,” Kiley told MSNBC earlier this week, adding that House lawmakers “didn’t do everything we needed to do” other than figure out how to end the shutdown.
BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSED THE DEMS FOR A SHUTDOWN
Representative Kevin Kiley, seen in August 2023, criticized Johnson’s shutdown strategy. (Scott Strazzante-Pool/Getty Images)
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Multiple House members also voiced concerns about Johnson staying out of session during his weekly private calls with members of the GOP conference.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, is the latest House Republican to suggest the GOP could be in a stronger position if it returns to Washington, according to Fox News Digital.
“I think the longer we stay out there, the more the messaging gets stale,” Van Duyne told House Republicans on Tuesday.
