As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, House Speaker Mike Johnson is turning up the heat on Senate Democrats, accusing them of playing political games and bowing to pressure from their far-left base.
In a recent Fox Business interview, Johnson called out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, claiming they are too afraid of primary challenges from the rising Marxist wing of the Democratic Party in New York to support a clean, short-term funding bill passed by House Republicans.
Johnson: House GOP Ready to Return in 48 Hours
Johnson emphasized that the House GOP is ready to get back to work within 48 hours — but only if Democrats agree to pass the GOP’s clean continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open.
“Over a month ago, the House did our job. We passed a clean, 24-page, nonpartisan bill to keep the lights on,” Johnson told Fox host Cheryl Casone. “The Democrats have voted it down almost a dozen times because they’re playing partisan games.”
Senate Democrats Block GOP Funding Bill — Again
On Monday, the Senate blocked the GOP’s stopgap funding bill for the 11th time. The House-passed measure would extend government funding through November 21.
The bill failed by a vote of 50–43, with only two non-Republicans breaking ranks:
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
- Sen. Angus King (I-ME)
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only senator to abstain from the vote.
Johnson Slams “Wasteful” Democrat Proposal
Johnson didn’t hold back in criticizing the Democratic alternative proposal, calling it a “dirty CR” filled with wasteful spending.
“They want to spend $1.5 trillion in new money, including $200 billion to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants, and billions more on leftist media and overseas programs,” he said.
He also pointed out that Democrats want to restore $500 million in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — something Johnson calls a handout to “leftist news organizations.”
“This is not a serious proposal,” Johnson continued. “No party in U.S. history has ever shut down the government over a clean CR. This is about internal politics — plain and simple.”
Fear of the Far-Left in New York?
According to Johnson, the real reason Democrats are refusing to cooperate is fear of losing power to more radical challengers in their own party.
“Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are afraid of the far-left flank in New York. Marxism is all the rage, and they’re worried about losing their seats,” he said. “It’s hurting real Americans, and it’s shameful.”
“There’s Nothing Left to Negotiate”
When asked why Republicans aren’t negotiating with Democrats, Johnson explained that the GOP’s CR is already free of partisan riders.
“This is a clean bill. There are no tricks, no poison pills. There’s nothing left to pull out to make it more palatable. Democrats already voted for the same thing earlier this year,” he said.
In fact, Senator Schumer himself previously supported a similar measure:
“Back in March, Schumer gave an impassioned speech about how irresponsible it would be to shut down the government,” Johnson noted. “The only thing that’s changed is that now he’s scared of the Marxist movement in his home state.”
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