House Speaker Mike Johnson is not committing to putting a potential Senate compromise to reopen the government on the House floor, instead urging Democrats to accept a short-term funding measure already passed by the Republican-led chamber.
“The House has done its job,” Johnson said in an interview with Scripps News. “All they have to do is pass the clean, continuing resolution, and then we can talk about all this substance. But I mean, I can't project the future of what would happen. The devil is always in the details."
Johnson insisted the continuing resolution — a seven-week stopgap bill — maintains existing spending levels that Democrats have supported in the past. He argued that Democrats are using the fight over Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year, as a “red herring” to delay action.
“Those subsidies they're talking about expire December 31. What we’re talking about is a simple stopgap funding measure to keep the government in operation so that we can have those debates,” he said.
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Johnson added, “There’s nothing for me to offer in a negotiation.”
Democrats say millions of Americans could face higher premiums if the tax credits lapse. Johnson countered that Republicans have already advanced legislation aimed at lowering health costs by cutting fraud and waste. He claimed Democrats are engaged in a “political stunt” to appease progressive voters, adding: “It’s really shameful because real Americans are being hurt in a shutdown.”
The speaker also touched on other issues during his interview with Scripps News, including President Donald Trump’s authorization of drone strikes against drug cartels. Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, defended the strikes, arguing the cartels are “at war with us” through fentanyl trafficking.
“The president, the commander-in-chief, has a responsibility to protect the American people, and he’s doing that very effectively,” Johnson said.
Watch the full interview with Speaker Mike Johnson
