WATCH: Johnson responds to critics on why he won't call House back for shutdown negotiations

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: PBS News/AP

Oct 13, 2025 4:34 PM EDT


WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen. Standing alone at the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, the speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration.

It’s a highly unusual mass layoff widely seen as way to seize on the shutdown to reduce the scope of government. Vice President JD Vance has warned of “painful” cuts ahead, even as employee unions sue. “We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” Johnson of Louisiana said.

With no endgame in sight, the shutdown is expected to roll on for the unforeseeable future. The closure has halted routine government operations, shuttered Smithsonian museums and other landmark cultural institutions and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions, all injecting more uncertainty into an already precarious economy.

The House is out of legislative session, with Johnson refusing to recall lawmakers back to Washington, while the Senate, closed Monday for the federal holiday, will return to work Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a cul-de-sac of failed votes as Democrats refuse to relent on their health care demands.

Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-johnson-responds-to-critics-on-why-he-wont-call-house-back-for-shutdown-negotiations

[NJCher]

1. Isn't it amazing?

How unaware they are of each other’s activities? Note this comment from the first paragraph:

speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration.

Typical mobster behavior. Nobody knows nuttin’.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. It's amazing... particularly since it is the HOUSE

that he is supposedly "leading" that is in charge of the purse strings that include appropriations for federal staffing.

[Botany]

3. This shut down is not as much about the right for the American People to get health care but about 2 things:

1) Protecting Trump from being held accountable for his decades long of being an active participant
in a world wide child sex trafficking operation with Epstein, Putin, and others. Trump’s teen beauty
pageants and modeling tryouts were really recruiting operations for sex slaves.

2) Project 2025’s agenda with the massive firing of federal employees many of whom are black
and with their federal jobs are middle class. Remember Trump had West Point put back up a picture
of slave owner and the leader of the CSA Robert E. Lee and has tried to get the Smithsonian to not
show slavery in such a bad light.

The level of evil here is huge and titular President Miller is behind this.

Btw Republicans just bought one of the 2 biggest voting systems in America….
Trump, “After this election you won’t ever have to vote again.”

[republianmushroom]

5. You nailed it.

[NJCher]

6. I just read where

in NJ, those voting machines are used in six counties.

[Botany]

7. The election outcome manipulations are not so much @ the machine* level but @ the central tabulators and

operating systems.

* look the voting machines are not connected to the net so there can’t be any election interference.

[NJCher]

8. here's the Reddit thread on it

My county happens to be one on the list:

https://www.reddit.com/r/newjersey/comments/1o60p0z/six_nj_counties_use_dominion_voting_systems_which/

[twodogsbarking]

4. Where I grew up he would have been called a douche bag, but spelt doosh bag.

[travelingthrulife]

9. "Daddy won't let me."

[RazorbackExpat]

10. Johnson is like a middle school nerd

who suddenly has the power to control the school