Senator Lankford proposes bill to avoid government shutdown
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram and Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, join “Faulkner Focus” to discuss the failed vote on paying federal workers amid the government shutdown as they enter their first week without pay.
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is canceling House votes for the fourth week in a row because government shutdown shows no signs of ending.
Johnson's move is part of his ongoing strategy to pressure Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has defeated the GOP federal funding plan 12 times since Sept. 19, when the House passed the measure.
Sept. 19 was also the last day the House of Representatives was in session, meaning lawmakers were largely in their districts for more than a month.
Republicans are advocating for a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending levels through Nov. 21 to give congressional negotiators time to reach a longer-term deal for fiscal year 2026.
A SCREAMING MATCH BREAKS OUT BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT'S CHAOS CONTINUES
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) overturns a House vote to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (L) for refusing to agree to the GOP plan to avert a government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Thasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Democrats, angry at being sidelined from discussing federal funding, were refusing support for any spending bill that also does not extend Obamacare's expanded COVID-19 era subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Johnson's decision was made public Friday afternoon during a brief pro forma session of the House of Representatives. Under the rules dictated by the Constitution, the House must meet every few days for short periods of time called “proforma” sessions to ensure continuity even if there are no formal legislative matters at the time.
Preliminary sessions can also provide an opportunity for legislators to make short speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have.
Democrats criticized Johnson's decision, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling reporters that House Republicans had been “on vacation for the last four weeks.”
The government shutdown came after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
Republicans, however, have largely remained united behind Johnson as the shutdown continues.
But there were several notable defections. Both Reps. Kevin Kiely, R-Calif., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have been publicly criticizing Johnson's strategy for weeks.
“I firmly believe this is the wrong decision,” Keeley told MSNBC earlier this week, adding that House lawmakers are not “doing all the things we should be doing” other than figuring out how to end the shutdown.
Battleground Republicans hold the line as Johnson pressures Democrats for shutdown
Rep. Kevin Kiely, seen in August 2023, criticized Johnson's strategy for shutting down businesses. (Scott Strazzante-Poole/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Several House lawmakers also raised concerns about absenteeism during private weekly calls Johnson holds with GOP conference members.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, was the latest House Republican to suggest the GOP could be in a stronger position if it returned to Washington, Fox News Digital reported.
“I think the longer we're gone, the messages start to get stale,” Van Duyne told fellow House Republicans on a call Tuesday.
