Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego took a direct shot at House Speaker Mike Johnson Thursday, predicting the Louisiana Republican will lose his gavel over the growing fallout from the ongoing government shutdown.
During an interview on CNN’s “The Source,” Gallego accused Johnson of retreating from Washington to avoid backlash from his own party amid the crisis.
He told host Kaitlan Collins that Johnson “sent his team home not just to pressure Democrats, but so he doesn’t get pressure from his own members.”
Gallego suggested the Speaker’s leadership is hanging by a thread. “He’s barely going to win, and he’s probably going to lose the Speakership next year,” the Arizona Democrat said. “He’s putting his members on a plank that’s not reversible.”
Johnson, who reclaimed the gavel earlier this year with strong backing from President Donald Trump, has faced mounting criticism from both sides as the shutdown enters its tenth day.
Despite skepticism from a handful of conservatives, including Reps. Ralph Norman and Keith Self, Trump’s influence helped Johnson secure another term.
Only Rep. Thomas Massie withheld support, citing long-standing concerns with Johnson’s leadership.
The stalemate has been fueled by Democrats in the Senate, who continue to block a temporary funding measure unless Republicans agree to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies before open enrollment begins Nov. 1.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has refused to take up that demand, arguing no such discussion can occur until government operations are restored.
“It’s a failure on Thune and Johnson,” Gallego said, blaming GOP leadership for what he described as a lack of engagement.
“They didn’t even bring up, ‘Hey, we need to start negotiating to come up with a path out of this.’”
Thune, speaking from the Capitol Friday, fired back, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of being “checked out” and unwilling to negotiate.
During a press conference, Thune said Schumer viewed the shutdown as a political advantage for Democrats and had “no plans” to meet with Republicans in search of a resolution.
“I think Leader Schumer’s checked out,” Thune told reporters. “This is going to happen organically with enough reasonable Senate Democrats who care enough about doing the right thing for their country.”
Thune blasted what he called the “insistence” of Democrats on their plan “or nothing else,” describing the push for a permanent extension of the ObamaCare subsidies as unserious.
“What they’re talking about is unserious. It’s been unserious from the very beginning,” he said, adding that talks will only resume once the government reopens.
The impasse shows no sign of breaking as the shutdown stretches toward its second week.
The Senate left Washington Thursday after passing its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, adjourning for the holiday weekend. The chamber is not set to reconvene until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, House Republicans canceled all votes scheduled for next week, extending the pause in legislative business that began in late September.
Four days of votes—Tuesday through Friday—were scrapped, according to an announcement read during a brief pro forma session.
Johnson had hinted earlier that the House would not return until Senate Democrats agreed to reopen the government, which has been shuttered since Oct. 1.
“We will come back, and get back to legislative session, as soon as the Senate Democrats turn the lights back on,” he told reporters. “That’s the fact. That’s where we are.”
Democrats have seized on Johnson’s decision to keep lawmakers home, accusing him of abandoning his duty while the country remains in limbo.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed the move, saying Republicans have “canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week, and appear ready to cancel votes next week.”
“These people are not serious about reopening the government,” Jeffries said, accusing Republicans of shirking responsibility.
He also took aim at GOP resistance to extending ACA subsidies, arguing that Republicans have “zero credibility on health care.”
Jeffries maintained that Democrats would not delay action on health care, insisting that the ACA provisions must be addressed as part of the shutdown deal, not after.
“What we’ve said to our Republican colleagues is we have to address the health care crisis that they’ve created decisively,” he said. “That means legislatively. And that means right now.”
As frustration grows, some lawmakers have floated a compromise: a promise from Republican leaders to hold a vote on the ACA subsidies later in the year in exchange for Democratic support to end the shutdown immediately.
Jeffries quickly dismissed the idea, pointing to years of Republican attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
“In the last 15 years, they’ve done everything they can to try to repeal and displace the Affordable Care Act,” Jeffries said. “That’s what this fight is all about.”
Johnson, for his part, rejected the notion that his decision to keep lawmakers in their districts was political.
Instead, he argued it was a necessary step to allow members to assist constituents impacted by the shutdown.
“This is not a strategy call to keep the House working in their districts right now,” he said. “There’s an urgent necessity of it.”
90% of the public knows this shutdown is on the Dems so your BS statement carries no weight.
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego opinion about the Speaker Mike Johnson is just an opinion, they are like A-Holes everyone has one.
Sorry NO & more fakes news U Dems produce the LESS credible U are
I would not be sad to see Mike Johnson go away. I have never trusted him from day one. When a politician uses his or her religion as a sign of his or her honesty it is a “red herring”. Most times Johnsons liberal DNA affinity needs to be squashed by other members of his party. He has been a “con man” just like Kevin McCarthy all along.