House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday accused Senate Democrats of deliberately forcing a government shutdown rather than passing a clean funding bill, adding that some members of the party have said themselves that it’s wrong.
“Democrats picked a shutdown over the American people,” Johnson said in a press release. “They rejected a simple measure to keep the government open — proving they’d rather score political points than protect seniors, veterans, and working families.”
He quoted past critical comments about government shutdowns made by Democrat legislators, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
The federal government has entered its sixth day of a partial shutdown after funding expired Oct. 1. Republicans in the House had advanced a short-term continuing resolution to keep agencies operating, but Senate Democrats blocked it, demanding that extensions of Affordable Care Act subsidies be included in any spending deal.
Johnson called that demand “reckless and unnecessary,” arguing that healthcare policy should be debated separately from basic government funding.
“This is exactly the kind of partisan brinkmanship Americans are tired of,” he said.
Democrats counter that the GOP’s temporary bill ignored critical healthcare provisions.
However, reports indicate some moderate Democrats are privately warning their leadership that the shutdown could backfire politically as hundreds of thousands of federal workers face furloughs and service disruptions spread nationwide.
Polls show most Americans oppose a shutdown under any circumstances, putting pressure on both parties to reach a deal.
Johnson insisted Republicans “did our job” by voting to keep the government open and accused Democrats of holding the process hostage.
“The American people deserve better,” he said.