House Speaker Mike Johnson sees no end in sight to the government shutdown

The speaker, who was standing alone in the Capitol building on the 13th day of the shutdown, said he was not aware of the details of the matter. Thousands of federal workers He was fired by the Trump administration. It is an unusual mass layoff that is widely seen as a way to capitalize on the lockdown Reduce scope From the government. Deputy President J.D. Vance He was warned “Painful” cuts. Forward, even when employee unions sued.

“We are headed toward one of the longest lockdowns in American history,” Louisiana’s Johnson said.

With no end in sight, the lockdown is expected to continue into the unforeseen future. The lockdown has interrupted the routine Government operationsThe Smithsonian museums and other attractions were closed Cultural institutions And the airports were left scrambling with it Flight disturbancesall of which injects more uncertainty into an already existing reality Unstable economy.

Home is Outside the legislative sessionWith Johnson refusing to summon lawmakers to Washington, while the Senate, which was closed on Monday due to the federal holiday, will return to work on Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a deadlock of failed votes as Democrats refuse to back down on their health care demands.

Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for his guarantee Military salaries are paid This week, that removed one major Pressure point This may have pushed the parties to the negotiating table.

At its core, the lockdown is a debate about health care policy — esp Affordable Care Act subsidies Which expires for millions of Americans who rely on government aid to buy their health insurance policies on the Obamacare exchanges. Democrats are calling for the support to be extended, and Republicans say this issue can be dealt with at a later time.

With Congress and the White House at a standstill, some are looking to the end of the month as the next possible deadline for reopening the government.

That’s when open enrollment begins on November 1 for the health program in question, and Americans will face the prospect of dramatically higher insurance premiums. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that monthly costs would double if Congress fails to renew the support payments that expire on December 31.

It’s also when monthly paid government employees, including thousands of House aides, will go without paychecks.

The health care debate has haunted Congress since the Affordable Care Act became law under President Barack Obama in 2010.

The country went through a 16-day government shutdown during Obama’s presidency when Republicans tried to repeal the 2013 Affordable Care Act.

Trump tried to “repeal and replace” the law, known as Obamacare, during his first term in 2017, with Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. That effort failed when then-Sen. John McCain memorably voted no on the plan.

With 24 million people now enrolled in Obamacare, a record high, Johnson said Monday that Republicans were unlikely to go that route again, noting that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from that failed moment.

“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are questioning that now because the roots are so deep,” Johnson said.

The Republican spokesman insists his party was willing to discuss the health care issue with Democrats this fall, before benefits expire at the end of the year. But he said Democrats must first agree to reopen the government.

The longest shutdown, during Trump’s first term due to his demand for funds to build the border wall between the United States and Mexico. It ended in 2019 After 35 days.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is exercising broad latitude in firing workers — sparking complaints from fellow Republicans and lawsuits from employee unions — and deciding who gets paid.

This means that not only the military, but other Trump administration priorities will not have to go unpaid, thanks to various other funding sources in addition to the billions available in what is commonly called the Trump budget. Big, beautiful bill This is the law now.

The Pentagon said over the weekend that it was capable of eavesdropping 8 billion dollars In research and development funds not used to pay the salaries of military personnel. They risked losing their paychecks on Wednesday. but Education Department are among those hit hard, disrupting special education, after-school programs and others.

“The administration could also decide to use mandatory funding provided in the Reconciliation Act of 2025 or other mandatory funding sources to continue activities funded by those direct appropriations at various agencies,” according to the report. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The Congressional Budget Office said the Department of Defense, the Treasury Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Management and Budget are among those that received specific funds under the law.

“Some of the funds allocated to the Department of Defense directly under the Reconciliation Act of 2025 could be used to pay active duty workers during the shutdown, thereby reducing the number of exempt workers who would receive back compensation,” the Congressional Budget Office wrote in a letter in response to questions raised by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.