WASHINGTON D.C. Oct 31, 2025 – As the federal government shutdown stretched into its 31st day, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) delivered a pointed rebuke of Senate Democrats on Friday, urging them to pass a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) to avert further hardship for troops, federal workers, and low-income families reliant on nutrition assistance.
In a Fox News interview aired live from Capitol Hill, Johnson, dressed in a navy suit and red tie, emphasized President Donald Trump’s efforts to mitigate the crisis using unobligated funds. “I’m grateful for President Trump, a commander-in-chief who understands the plight of our military,” Johnson said, crediting the administration for redirecting resources to cover paychecks for soldiers and Border Patrol agents. However, he warned that such measures are “not inexhaustible,” and the “simplest way” to resolve the impasse is for Democrats to approve the bipartisan funding bill passed by the House weeks ago.
Johnson’s remarks, shared in a video clip posted to his X account late Thursday, quickly amassed over 46,000 views and drew sharp partisan reactions. The post accused Senate Democrats of blocking aid “for one simple reason: if they vote for the exact same clean CR funding bill they’ve always supported, their far left Marxist base will turn on them.” He concluded with a plea: “It’s time for Democrats to SHOW SOME COURAGE, do the right thing, and reopen the government.”
The shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history, has furloughed over 2 million federal employees and halted non-essential services, including visa processing and national park operations. Its most immediate fallout hits nutrition programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for approximately 42 million Americans are set to pause starting Saturday, potentially leaving millions of low-income families without food aid amid rising grocery costs. “We have a lot of people who are really struggling right now,” Johnson told Fox host Brian Kilmeade, highlighting impacts on veterans’ health services and young families. “Children will go hungry” if the stalemate persists, he added in a separate statement.
Republicans, holding slim majorities in both chambers, have passed multiple clean CRs extending funding at current levels through mid-November, but Senate Democrats—led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer—have refused, demanding concessions on immigration enforcement and rejecting what they call “poison pill” riders attached by the GOP. Over 300 business, labor, and advocacy groups have rallied behind the clean CR, warning of economic ripple effects including delayed IRS refunds and stalled infrastructure projects.
The finger-pointing intensified this week after President Trump, in a late-night Truth Social post, called for abolishing the Senate filibuster to ram through border security measures, including mass deportations and wall funding. Johnson, texting with Trump post-call, distanced himself from the idea, telling PBS NewsHour, “That’s not my call” as House Speaker. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) echoed the caution, rebuffing the proposal during live updates and insisting negotiations remain the path forward.
Democrats fired back, with Schumer accusing Republicans of manufacturing the crisis to “starve” vulnerable populations and fund Trump’s “extremist agenda.” A recent poll shows 58% of voters blame the GOP for the shutdown, a figure Johnson dismissed Friday, claiming “Americans know Democrats are to blame.” House Democrats, meanwhile, boycotted a GOP-led hearing on the shutdown’s economic toll, opting instead for a press conference decrying “Republican cruelty.”
Complicating matters, federal judges ruled Thursday that the Trump administration must tap emergency funds for essential services like air traffic control, a move Johnson praised but said underscores the urgency for a full resolution. The House remains in recess for a “district work week,” with Johnson ruling out an early return until the Senate acts. Senators, too, have scattered for the weekend, leaving the Capitol quiet as the shutdown clock ticks past the historic 1995-96 record.
As Halloween’s echoes fade and All Saints’ Day dawns, Johnson’s invocation of “courage” highlights the moral stakes both sides claim in the standoff. With midterms a year away and Trump’s approval dipping amid the chaos, the pressure mounts for a breakthrough—or deeper divisions.
