Mike Johnson Says Government Shutdown Could Be Longest Ever

Johnson Shutdown Presser — Source: Anadolu / Getty

As we approach the two-week mark of the ongoing government shutdown, House Majority Speaker Mike Johnson has warned that this could be the longest shutdown in history.

According to AP, Johnson said, “We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” while speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Monday.

The government shutdown began Oct. 1 when Senate Democrats refused to vote on a spending bill to keep the government open. While Republicans have control of the House and Senate, spending bills need 60 votes in the Senate to pass.

Their refusal boils down to Republicans ending COVID-era subsidies that kept costs reasonable for insurance provided through the Affordable Care Act. Democrats want the subsidies extended before the ACA’s open enrollment period begins Nov. 1. Without the subsidies, many people who receive insurance through the ACA could see their premiums double.

Considering a large number of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, inflation is higher than it was a year ago, and over a million Americans have lost their jobs this year, you’d think Republicans would give themselves an easy win and vote to extend the subsidies, right? Nope.

Instead, Johnson and his fellow Republicans in Congress have refused to negotiate to extend the subsidies and have repeatedly tried to frame Democrats as the lone cause of the shutdown.

“Ending this shutdown is not a one-party exercise. Republicans do have control of Congress, but it still takes 60 votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate. All of this is the way the founders intended the process to work,” Johnson said during the news conference. “Any Democrats who suggest otherwise are willfully misleading the American people.”

According to Axios, Johnson further drew the ire of House Democrats by calling off another week of votes, saying the House will not reconvene until the Senate successfully passes a Senate bill. “The government is shut down, and Johnson wants his members on vacation. It’s disgraceful,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.).

“It would be one thing if they were talking to people back home,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told Axios. “But they said they’ll do town halls when hell freezes over. Who’s writing their talking points — Marie Antoinette?”

Johnson is also facing pressure from some in his own party who feel like the optics of canceling votes are actually benefiting the Democrats. There is some evidence for this, as polling reveals the majority of the American public believes the Republicans are responsible for the shutdown.

The ripple effects of the government shutdown are already being felt. Last week, several airports reported a shortage of air traffic controllers, resulting in significant flight delays. This week, the problem has worsened as more airports nationwide have reported periods when no air traffic controllers were on staff.

One of the most notable effects of the shutdown has been the Trump administration’s unusual move to use the shutdown as an excuse to execute widespread layoffs. The layoffs have further gutted the Department of Education and largely focused on departments dedicated to civil rights enforcement and special education.

I knew the second Trump term was going to be worse than the first, but I honestly didn’t have “let’s make life harder for special needs kids” on my bingo card for what the Republican Party was going to do this time around.

What makes the layoffs even more baffling is that this isn’t even the longest government shutdown in history.

The 2018-2019 government shutdown lasted for 35 days over a dispute between President Donald Trump and Congressional Democrats over border wall funding. During the entire 35-day shutdown, there were no layoffs or even a discussion about it being a possibility. As the current shutdown continues, layoffs are expected to hit departments such as Health and Human Services, Treasury, the Environmental Protection Agency, and even Homeland Security.

I’m sure that some of the country’s most essential departments being short-staffed is in no way going to blow up in our faces further down the line.

What Does A Government Shutdown Mean For Black People?

Agencies Across Federal Government Blame The ‘Radical Left’ For The Government Shutdown

Explaining The Hatch Act: When Government Agencies Go Too Far In Political Messaging

Burbank Airport Faces Air Traffic Controller Shortage

Majority Speaker Mike Johnson Says Government Shutdown Could Be Longest Ever was originally published on newsone.com