House Republicans reportedly are bracing for extended workdays once the Democrats' government shutdown ends, with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., telling colleagues to expect "long nights, long days" as Congress races to make up for lost time.
Frustration among GOP lawmakers has grown during the prolonged recess Johnson ordered amid the budget standoff, which has now stretched past five weeks, The Hill reported.
The House last held votes on Sept. 19 as the speaker seeks to pressure Senate Democrats to accept a "clean" continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through Nov. 21 without the costly climate and Obamacare add-ons Democrats have demanded.
The decision to keep the House out of session has split Republicans.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, voiced concern on a recent conference call about the growing workload that awaits when the shutdown ends, Axios reported.
But GOP leaders, including House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., say the break is necessary to expose Democrat obstruction.
Cole told The Hill he will meet with Johnson to accelerate work on the remaining 12 appropriations bills, noting Democrats have refused to engage in real negotiations.
"We've got to move and we're wasting a lot of time," Cole said. "Once we're allowed to negotiate, we can get these bills done."
Johnson has maintained that keeping members in Washington during the shutdown would accomplish little since Senate Democrats have blocked all progress.
In the meantime, committees have continued oversight work, releasing additional documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and bipartisan inquiries into sports gambling corruption in the NBA.
As the shutdown drags on, some House conservatives have floated another continuing resolution lasting until early 2026. Cole opposes such a long-term measure but said an extension to January "sounds reasonable."
Behind the scenes, Johnson's allies insist the speaker's strategy is working. Public pressure is mounting on Senate Democrats to abandon what Johnson calls their "spending wish list" and reopen the government.
"The reason our numbers are rising," he said, "is because we are articulating the simple truth: Republicans are voting to keep the government open; Democrats are voting to keep it closed."
With a backlog of spending bills, delayed committee work, and growing public frustration, House Republicans know they'll have to hit the accelerator when the standoff ends.
But they're betting that when the dust settles, voters will remember which party actually fought to keep America running.
In multiple interviews Thursday, Johnson forcefully pushed back on Democrat claims that Republicans are responsible for the shutdown.
The speaker said Democrats have "voted 14 times" to block essential funding for food assistance and veterans' benefits.
"There's a very important point that everyone needs to understand," Johnson said in a press release about CNN and Fox News interviews.
"Republicans have voted 14 times to provide SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits, military pay, veterans' health services, nutrition assistance for young women, the disabled, and the elderly. Democrats have voted 14 times to block all of that."
Johnson said Democrats' refusal to back even a short-term funding bill proves the shutdown is being driven by politics, not policy.
"They're afraid of the rise of the far-left Marxists in their party," he said. "They're playing games with real people's lives."
Johnson argued that the House-passed CR is the same kind Democrats supported a dozen times during the Biden administration.
"The only reason they rejected it now is because they're terrified of the far-left base, and [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer's trying to save his own political hide in New York," Johnson said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.