House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faces criticism for his stance on government shutdowns, especially given his past opposition to them. He seems to be overlooking his own words while stressing the urgency to avoid a shutdown that could happen if compromises aren’t made with Republicans.
Johnson has a video on display outside his Capitol office, showcasing comments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that highlight their previous criticisms of government shutdowns.
“It’s not normal to shut down governments when we don’t get what we want,” Ocasio-Cortez remarked during a speech in 2019.
Just about a year ago, Schumer expressed his concerns over how shutdowns negatively impact the average American.
“A government shutdown means that older people who rely on social security can be thrown into chaos,” he said in a speech from September 2024, targeting “Hard Right Republicans” and “MAGA radicals.”
Johnson’s video also features Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who all emphasized the adverse effects of shutdowns on working-class Americans and civil servants.
“Families hurt. Farmers hurt,” Jeffries mentioned back in December 2024.
“It’s the service members who work without pay. They are firefighters,” responded Clark in September 2023.
In a video shared with her social media followers last year, Pressley remarked, “This shutdown—do you know who’s trying to feel the pain? You.”
Despite their prior outcry against shutdowns, the Democrats have reportedly not collaborated with Republicans to prevent a potential shutdown on October 1st.
Former President Donald Trump commented, “They’re shutting it down. We’re not shutting it down. We don’t want to shut it down because we have the biggest period ever. We’re investing $17 trillion; we’re the last ones who want to shut it down.”
Multiple Republicans believe that Schumer will ultimately take the blame for the looming shutdown.
