WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Democrats are risking a government shutdown by pushing for additional spending, as Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.
In interviews on CNN and Fox News, Johnson said Republicans are advancing a short-term continuing resolution to extend funding while appropriators in both chambers continue work on longer-term spending bills. He accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of attaching what he called “partisan demands” to the process.
“It’s shameful that they’re playing politics with all the services that the American people demand and deserve,” Johnson said on CNN’s State of the Union. “Think of it, troops won’t be paid because Chuck Schumer needs political cover.”
Johnson said he met with former President Donald Trump over the weekend to discuss the situation, and that Trump supports extending government funding temporarily while Congress debates other policy issues later in the year.
House and Senate appropriators have advanced several of the 12 required spending bills, but Johnson said more time is needed to reconcile differences between the two chambers. The House passed three bills, and the Senate has passed three, but they do not match, requiring further negotiations.
Johnson said the House continuing resolution is “a simple, clean” measure that would allow government operations to continue while talks proceed. He said Democrats are holding out for additional measures, including health care funding provisions, which Republicans oppose.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has been preparing contingency plans in the event of a shutdown. Johnson said responsibility would lie with Democrats if Congress fails to approve a funding measure.