House Speaker Rejects Funding Bill Amid Government Shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) turned down a proposed standalone bill intended to fund federal employee salaries and support programs during the ongoing government shutdown.
The measures included funding for federal employee paychecks and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is set to stop providing benefits after November 1st.
“We had a vote on these priorities back on September 19th, and nearly every Democrat in the House, except for one, opposed them,” Johnson stated during a news conference. “It seems like Democrats are just playing games. Over the past week, they’ve introduced various one-time funding bills—for the military, for essential workers—but have turned down all of them.”
“So it wouldn’t make any sense to bring this up again in the House and send it over to Congress for Chuck Schumer to handle,” he added, referencing the Democratic Senate Minority Leader from New York. “We’re engaged in this process, and it feels like a waste of time.”
The situation has grown more strained as the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history reached its 28th day on Tuesday. This latest vote marked the 13th time the Senate has failed to lift the shutdown.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) urged fellow Republicans to consider the “nuclear option” to resolve the shutdown. She mentioned Johnson directly and expressed her frustration, saying that while she has suggestions to resolve the issue, Republicans have not been given enough options to move forward.
“I criticized the House for recessing while not passing any bills or executive orders,” she posted on social media. “I also asked Chairman Johnson about the Republican health care plan for moving away from Obamacare and making health insurance more affordable.”
As millions of Americans face the risk of losing SNAP benefits this week, Democratic officials from 25 states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to keep the program functioning.
“A government agency cannot just halt all benefits indefinitely while refusing to allocate available budget funds for SNAP benefits to those eligible,” the complaint asserts.
