US House Speaker Johnson does not rule out longest shutdown in history
Kyiv • UNN
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not negotiate with Democrats on a shutdown until they dropped their healthcare demands. He suggested that a federal government shutdown could be the longest in US history.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, suggested on Monday that the federal government shutdown could become the longest in history, stating that he "will not negotiate" with Democrats until they abandon their healthcare demands and resume work, writes UNN with reference to AP.
Details
On the 13th day of the shutdown, the Speaker stated that he was unaware of the details of the dismissal of thousands of federal employees by the Trump administration. This is an extremely unusual mass dismissal, which, as stated, is widely seen as a way to take advantage of the shutdown and reduce the scale of government operations. US Vice President J.D. Vance warned of upcoming "painful" cuts, despite lawsuits from workers' unions.
"We are approaching one of the longest shutdowns in American history," Johnson said.
With no end in sight, the shutdown is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the publication writes. The shutdown has halted normal government operations, closed Smithsonian museums and other iconic cultural institutions, and caused airport disruptions due to flight cancellations, further exacerbating the uncertainty of an already unstable economy.
The US House of Representatives is not holding a legislative session, as Johnson has refused to recall lawmakers back to Washington. The Senate, closed on Monday for a federal holiday, will resume work on Tuesday. However, senators are at an impasse due to failed votes, as Democrats are unwilling to concede on their healthcare demands, the publication notes.
Johnson thanked US President Donald Trump for ensuring military personnel were paid this week, which removed one of the main factors that could have pushed the parties to the negotiating table. The US Coast Guard is also receiving pay, a senior administration official confirmed on Monday.
At the same time, as stated, at the end of October, civil servants who receive a monthly salary, including thousands of assistants from the House of Representatives, will be left without pay.
Essentially, the shutdown is a debate in the chamber about healthcare policy, specifically about subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are expiring for millions of Americans who rely on government assistance to purchase their own health insurance policies on Obamacare exchanges. Democrats are demanding an extension of the subsidies, but Republicans argue that this issue can be resolved later.
On Monday, Johnson said that, given that 24 million people have already enrolled in Obamacare, a record, Republicans are unlikely to go down that road again, noting that he still has "PTSD" from that failed moment.
"Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical of that now, because the roots of that system are very deep," Johnson said.
The Republican Speaker insists that his party is ready to discuss healthcare issues with Democrats this fall before the subsidies expire at the end of the year. But first, he said, Democrats must agree to reopen the government.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that with Republicans effectively keeping the chamber closed for a fourth week, no real negotiations are taking place. They are "nowhere to be found," he said on MSNBC.
With Congress and the White House at an impasse, some see the end of the month as the next potential deadline for the government to reopen, the publication writes.
Meanwhile, as Reuters writes, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the shutdown is starting to affect the country's economy.
"It's getting serious. It's starting to affect the real economy," he said on Fox Business Network, without providing further details.