Government Shutdown Update
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana spoke out during the 14th day of the ongoing government shutdown. He expressed concern that Democrats are tying the reopening of government to a request for $3.9 million in LGBTQI+ democracy grants for the Western Balkans.
Johnson mentioned that Republicans have proposed a straightforward continuing resolution (CR) aimed at keeping government operations running. However, Democrats have rejected this proposal multiple times, even though they had shown support for it in the past. He pointed out how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is trying to balance the demands of his faction while using the shutdown as leverage on unrelated issues like healthcare, which Johnson insists is not relevant to the CR.
Digging deeper, Johnson outlined some of the contentious elements in the Democrats’ counterproposal, specifically a staggering $1.5 trillion in new spending from taxpayers. He noted, for example, that funds destined for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting could total $500 million—money that would, he argued, be funneled to liberal news outlets. Additionally, he mentioned the potential for reclaiming up to $5 billion for questionable international projects initiated with American taxpayer funds.
“For instance, there’s a demand in their counterproposal for $24.6 million designated for climate resilience in Honduras,” Johnson detailed. “They’re suggesting we allocate $13.4 million for civic engagement in Zimbabwe and $2.9 million for desert locust risk reduction in Africa, among other items.” He specifically mentioned the $3.9 million for LGBTQI+ democracy initiatives in the Western Balkans and $2 million directed toward promoting feminist democratic principles in Africa.
“We’re not going to endorse this,” Johnson affirmed. He also pointed out that their proposal seemed to reverse some reforms previously made by the Republican Party, particularly those meant to discourage illegal immigration, stating they should not squander taxpayer money on initiatives that don’t align with American interests or values.
In closing, Johnson highlighted his dissatisfaction with moving in a direction that would elevate or reward non-citizens at the expense of taxpayers, expressing frustration over what he sees as a systematic disregard for fiscal responsibility in the competing proposals.
