Johnson cautions that a government shutdown might turn into the longest in US history.

Government Shutdown Enters Its 13th Day

During a press conference on Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) delivered a firm warning as the government shutdown reached its 13th day. He stated, “Unless Democrats abandon their partisan tactics and approve a straightforward budget that reopens the government and compensates federal workers, we are on track to face the longest shutdown in American history.”

The shutdown began nearly two weeks ago on October 1, following Senate Democrats’ rejection of a Republican funding proposal. They further blocked the same proposal six additional times.

Press Conference Remarks

At the press event, Johnson referenced a statement from former President Barack Obama. Obama mentioned over a decade ago that, “There is a way out of this reckless and harmful Republican shutdown: Congress needs to pass a budget that funds the government without partisan constraints.”

Johnson emphasized, “Those were not my words, but President Obama’s words from 2013 during a 16-day government shutdown.” He voiced concerns that if Democrats continue to resist, this shutdown could also extend significantly.

The record for the longest government shutdown still belongs to the 35-day standoff that occurred from December 2018 to January 2019 during President Trump’s administration. Following closely is a 21-day period from December 1995 to January 1996 under President Clinton, and then a shutdown during Obama’s presidency. Currently, the ongoing 2025 shutdown ranks as the fifth longest, preceded only by the 1978 shutdown under President Carter.

Proposed Financial Bill

Republicans have introduced a seven-week bill, known as the Continuing Resolution (CR), aimed at maintaining federal funding levels for the fiscal year 2025 until November 21. The intention is to provide lawmakers additional time to negotiate a more permanent solution for the fiscal year 2026, which starts on October 1.

This proposal includes minimal policy provisions aside from an additional $88 million in security funding for lawmakers and is reportedly receiving bipartisan backing. Despite passing the House on September 19, primarily along party lines, the Democrats felt sidelined during the funding negotiations. Therefore, they are now demanding that any spending agreement also include an extension for COVID-19 pandemic-related measures, including an expansion of Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.