Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats are "willfully misleading the American people" when they say Republicans are in control of ending the government shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday.
On the 13th day of what he termed the "Democrat government shutdown," Johnson urged Senate Democrats to act responsibly and vote to reopen the government.
"Ending this shutdown is not a one-party exercise," Johnson said during a press conference in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol. "Republicans do have control of Congress, but it still takes 60 votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate.
"Any Democrats who suggest otherwise are willfully misleading the American people."
Johnson said several Democrats and independents already have broken ranks to support the Republican proposal to keep the government open, but five more are needed.
Johnson accused Democrats of playing politics while federal workers go unpaid.
He displayed a chart showing multiple votes in which Schumer's caucus members rejected Republican attempts to fund the government.
"Eight times total in Congress, Republicans have voted to keep the government open, and Democrats have voted to close it," Johnson said. "They voted against paying troops, TSA [Transportation Security Administration] agents, Border Patrol, and air traffic controllers.
"The record is clear."
He said Democrats' obstruction is driven by demands for $1.5 trillion in new spending, which he called a "ransom from the American people."
Johnson pointed out that the House-passed continuing resolution is "clean and nonpartisan," without new spending or partisan riders.
Johnson also pushed back against Democrat calls for private negotiations, saying Republicans are committed to "regular order" and transparency.
"You've heard our Democrat colleagues demand that Republicans come to the table to negotiate," Johnson said. "But I don't have anything to negotiate with. We don't have any partisan policy riders. It is a truly clean CR."
He said Democrats' counterproposal includes $1.5 trillion in new spending, $200 billion for benefits to noncitizens, and $500 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — funded, he claimed, by cutting $50 billion from rural hospitals.
"They want to do this behind closed doors," Johnson said. "We're not doing that anymore. We won't negotiate as hostages."
Johnson concluded by calling on "reasonable Senate Democrats" to "do the right thing" and end the shutdown. He said Republicans remain willing to resume bipartisan appropriations talks once the government is reopened.
"The shutdown did not have to happen," he said. "Every American needs to understand why it did — and who's responsible for keeping it going."
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.