Johnson raises stakes on Schumer as government shutdown barrels into week 3

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared the House of Representatives out of session for a third straight week in a bid to keep pressure on Senate Democrats in Washington.

The speaker appears to be raising the stakes on lawmakers across the aisle, who keep refusing the GOP’s plan to fund government agencies on a short-term basis in favor of making demands on healthcare that Republicans are calling unreasonable.

The government shutdown is poised to roll into a third week after Senate Democrats sunk the GOP’s federal funding bill seven times, most recently on Thursday.

The House passed the bill on Sept. 19 and has not been in session since. The measure, called a continuing resolution (CR), is aimed at keeping the government funded at current levels through Nov. 21, in order for congressional negotiators to have more time to strike a longer-term deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026.

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Democrats, furious at being sidelined in federal funding discussions, have been withholding their support for any spending bill that does not also extend COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are due to expire at the end of this year.

Johnson’s decision was made public on Friday afternoon during a brief pro forma session in the House. Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days called “pro forma” sessions to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.

Pro forma sessions can also be opportunities for lawmakers to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have. 

Johnson’s decision comes after he canceled votes on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 in an effort to press the Senate to take up the House’s CR. He canceled votes the following week as well.

The House GOP leader told fellow Republicans on a private call Thursday that he would give them 48 hours’ notice before they needed to return to Washington.

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Johnson has suggested multiple times in public and in private that he would reopen the House when Senate Democrats relented on the CR.

In the meantime, he’s asking House Republicans to remain in their districts to drive home the effects of the government shutdown on everyday Americans.

The strategy has gotten pushback from some members of his conference, including those who are pushing for a standalone vote on legislation ensuring the military is paid during the shutdown.

Without action by Congress or the White House, active duty service members who are made to work during the shutdown — as well as others on the federal payroll — are set to miss paychecks on Oct. 15 if the standoff continues.

At least three House Republicans have also suggested they want the House to return to its business next week — Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., said so on the Thursday call, while Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., made his concerns public on X.

But tensions ran high among the few lawmakers who were in Washington this week, with two Senate Democrats confronting Johnson and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., getting into a screaming match with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., over Obamacare subsidies.

Asked about the conflicts, Johnson suggested it was part of the reason House lawmakers should remain out of Washington until the shutdown ends.

“I’m a very patient man. But I am very angry right now because this is dangerous stuff. And so, is it better for them to be physically separated right now? It probably is,” he said on Thursday.

“Frankly, I wish that weren’t the case. But we do have to turn the volume down. The best way to turn the volume down is to turn the lights back on and get the government open for the people.”