By Gloria Ogbonna
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he remains confident that the federal government will reopen by Tuesday, even as a partial government shutdown continues and negotiations with Democrats remain strained.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Johnson addressed the ongoing shutdown and responded to questions from host Kristen Welker about whether Republicans have the votes needed to restore government funding without Democratic support.
“As we sit here today, we are in the midst of a partial government shutdown,” Welker said. “The latest reports indicate that you’ve spoken with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and that he has made it clear you do not have Democratic support to reopen the government.
So let me ask you directly: Are you confident the government will reopen on Monday with Republican votes alone? Do you have enough Republican support?”
Johnson acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but remained optimistic about a near-term resolution. “Well, let’s say I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” he said.
“We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone back in town. And based on the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I understand that we’re going to have to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own. I think that’s very unfortunate.”
The speaker went on to describe how the current funding impasse developed, pointing to earlier bipartisan efforts to avoid another prolonged shutdown.
Johnson noted that House and Senate appropriators from both parties had previously worked closely together through a bicameral, bipartisan, committee-led process—particularly in the wake of the 43-day government shutdown last fall, which was the longest in U.S. history.
“No one wanted to put that kind of pain on the American people again,” Johnson said. “We were insistent that we would not allow that to happen. Unfortunately, the Democrats forced this situation.”
Despite the tension, Johnson praised lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for progress made in recent days. He said Senate action over the weekend helped move the process forward and brought the total number of appropriations bills agreed upon by both chambers to 11 out of 12.
“I tip my hat to everybody appropriators of both parties who got this together after the Senate acted,” Johnson said. “That’s because they modified our package and sent it over in a slightly different form, which means we have to take up the bills again in the House.”
Johnson explained that the remaining sticking point involves the Department of Homeland Security. Under the current plan, that bill will be separated from the rest.
“Our intention is to fund all agencies and reopen the federal government by Tuesday, with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “Then we’ll have two weeks of good-faith negotiations to work through the remaining issues and try to resolve that final piece.”
While uncertainty remains, Johnson’s remarks suggest House Republicans are preparing to move forward largely on their own to end the shutdown, with the speaker signaling confidence that government operations will soon resume.
Source Breitbart
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