Government shutdown appears all but inevitable
'[The] president would cut a deal if left to his own devices. Johnson and Thune want a shutdown,” one senior Democratic source' one Democratic source said.
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WASHINGTON _ A government shutdown appears all but imminent as top congressional leaders from both parties emerged from a meeting at the White House on Monday without a path forward ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a stopgap funding measure.
“[The] president would cut a deal if left to his own devices. Johnson and Thune want a shutdown,” one senior Democratic source told 24Sight News shortly after the meeting.
Democrats have slammed GOP leaders for not negotiating a bipartisan deal and are advocating for language to be included to extend Obamacare tax subsidies in a continuing resolution — a position some moderate Republicans in swing districts have expressed openness to — but the majority of Republicans have argued the bill passed along party lines out of the House is largely clean, alleging that Democrats are making unreasonable demands.
“There’s nothing partisan in here, no policy riders, none of our big party preferences, because we want to do the right thing by the American people and allow more time for negotiation,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. “Now there’s a reason that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have come out here, stomped their feet saying that they can’t go along with this — they’re trying to bring in extraneous issues.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters: “We have very large differences,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took aim at the Republican plan, adding “We believe there is urgency to both keeping the government open, reaching a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, their economic well-being and quality of life, while also addressing the dangerous Republican health care crisis.”
“I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters, adding that he would like to “work on it [extending ACA subsidies] together.”
As things inch closer to a government shutdown, partisan fingerpointing has amplified on both sides of the aisle.
Earlier in the day, House Republican leadership told their conference during a closed-to-press call that Democrats would be responsible for a shutdown and GOP lawmakers should message that members across the aisle hold the blame.
“The call is all about how the Dems own the shutdown. Gave lots of narratives,” one lawmaker said.
Johnson told members on the call “he is planning on us coming back next week.”
Rep. Mike Lawler discussed the hypocrisy of Dems always saying they want a clean CR and now opposing it.
Multiple lawmakers also called for members to be brought back early, with one lawmaker telling 24Sight News: “Some suggest we come back now to force Dems into voting. Not to reopen government.”
While Republicans insist Democrats are holding government funding “hostage,” Democrats have argued that the GOP holds the majority in both chambers and controls the White House and therefore would be responsible.
“Republicans controlled the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives all year. They knew they needed Democrats to avert a shutdown. Not once did they try and work with Democrats to do that. Now with one day left, this shutdown is on Democrats? They think you’re stupid,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) posted on X.
Current government funding expires on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m.
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