Sep 9, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Speaker Johnson: "No one should worry" about shutdown

Juliegrace Brufke

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) dismissed questions about whether a government shutdown could be on the horizon, even as a dispute with Democrats brews over his support for a crackdown on non-citizen voting.

Why it matters: Some moderate Republicans seeking re-election in districts President Biden won in 2020 have expressed concern that they could pay a political price if the clash with Democrats ends up threatening a shutdown.

Asked Monday about moderate GOP lawmakers' concerns, Johnson told Axios: "No one should worry — I believe we can get this job done."

The big picture: While neither party's leadership wants a shutdown, Johnson is under pressure from conservative members of his conference to back a stopgap government funding bill that runs through March and includes the non-citizen voting measure.

Shortly after arriving at the Capitol, Johnson signaled he wasn't ready to back off the dispute with Democrats, calling it "a critical fight for us to wage."
"The American people demand and deserve that we require proof of American citizenship to vote," he told Axios.

Zoom out: Democratic leaders, meanwhile, are plotting with the White House to try to force Republicans to accept a short-term spending bill that would fund the government through mid-December.

House Republican leaders, who rallied support for their proposal last week on a call with their members, plan to begin whipping the measure Monday.
Government funding is set to expire Sept. 30.

Add Axios on Google

Speaker Johnson: "No one should worry" about shutdown

What to read next