House Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t hold back Monday, placing full responsibility for the ongoing government shutdown squarely on the shoulders of Senate Democrats. As the standoff nears its one-month mark, Johnson said the pain across the nation — from unpaid military families to grounded federal workers — is “the direct result of Democratic obstruction.”
Johnson outlined the grim numbers: 1.4 million federal workers have already missed paychecks, while air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents, and troops continue serving without pay. He accused Democrats of voting repeatedly to keep the government closed, rejecting 13 separate Republican attempts to reopen it. Calling the situation “madness,” Johnson argued that Democrats’ demands — including billions for noncitizen health benefits and cuts to rural hospitals — are “radical conditions that hurt everyday Americans.” His message was blunt: Republicans can’t do it alone, and unless Democrats relent, the shutdown’s toll will only deepen.
