WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican speaker mike johnson The federal government predicted on Monday government shutdown This could be the longest time in history that Democrats have said they would not negotiate until they pause the policy. medical demand and resume.
The speaker, who stood alone in the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, said he did not know the details of the incident. thousands of federal employees He was fired by the Trump administration. This is a highly unusual mass layoff and is widely seen as a way to take advantage of the government shutdown. Reduce range of the government. Deputy President JD Vance warned “Painful” cuts Even if the employee union files a lawsuit.
“We’re hurtling toward the longest shutdown in American history,” Louisiana’s Johnson said.
There is no end in sight, and the closure is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Closures brought daily life to a halt. government activitiesclosed Smithsonian museums and other landmarks cultural facilities And I left the airport while scrambling. airplane disturbanceall injecting further uncertainty into what is already there unstable economy.
The house is Parliament is out of sessionPrime Minister Johnson has refused to recall lawmakers to Washington, while the Senate is in session on Monday for a federal holiday and is scheduled to return to work on Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a veto alley as Democrats refuse to act on their health care demands.
Prime Minister Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for securing him. military personnel are paid This week, one main was removed pressure points That may have brought the parties to the negotiating table.
At the heart of this closure is the debate over health policy, especially health care policy. Affordable Care Act subsidies For millions of Americans who rely on government assistance to buy their health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges, that insurance is about to expire. Democrats have called for an extension of the aid, but Republicans say the issue can be addressed later.
Some are targeting the end of this month as the next deadline to reopen the government, given the deadlock in Congress and the White House.
Open recruitment for the controversial health care program begins on November 1, and Americans will face higher premiums. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that monthly costs will double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments, which expire Dec. 31.
It’s also a time when salaried government employees, including thousands of House aides, will go unpaid.
Health care debates have dogged Congress since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 under then-President Barack Obama.
During President Obama’s presidency, the country experienced a 16-day government shutdown when Republicans tried to repeal the 2013 Affordable Care Act.
Trump attempted to “repeal and replace” the law known as Obamacare in 2017, during his first term with Republican majorities in the House and Senate. That effort was unsuccessful, as then-Sen. It is still fresh in our minds that John McCain voted against this plan.
With a record 24 million people now enrolled in Obamacare, Johnson said on Monday that Republicans were unlikely to go down that path again, noting they still had “PTSD” from the moment of the failure.
“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical about that right now because the roots are so deep,” Johnson said.
The Republican chairman insisted he was open to discussing health care issues with Democrats this fall before the subsidies expire at the end of the year. But first, he said, Democrats must agree to reopen the government.
The longest shutdown was during President Trump’s first term over his request for funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Ended in 2019 35 days later.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has exercised significant discretion both in firing employees (which has sparked complaints from Republicans and lawsuits from employee unions) and deciding who gets paid.
This means that the military, as well as other priorities of the Trump administration, will not necessarily have to go unpaid, thanks to various other funding sources and the billions of dollars available to what is commonly referred to as the Trump presidency. one big beautiful bill That is the law now.
The Pentagon announced it was wiretapped over the weekend. 8 billion dollars Unused research and development funds paid to military personnel. They were at risk of missing out on Wednesday’s pay. but, Department of Education Schools have been hit hard, with special education and after-school programs disrupted.
“The Administration may also decide to use mandatory funding sources provided in the Reconciliation Act of 2025 or other mandatory funding sources to continue activities funded by direct spending at various agencies,” according to the paper. the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office;
CBO listed the Department of Defense, Treasury Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Office of Management and Budget as the agencies that received specific funds under the Act.
“Some of the funds directly appropriated by the Department of Defense under the Reconciliation Act of 2025 will be used to pay active duty personnel during the shutdown, potentially reducing the number of excepted workers who receive delayed compensation,” the CBO said in a letter in response to questions from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
