WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he is “confident” that the partial government shutdown will end by Tuesday, even as Democrats refuse to guarantee the votes needed to quickly reopen the government.
The federal government entered a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Senate Democrats abruptly rejected a bipartisan funding agreement, instead demanding changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Let’s say I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” Johnson (R-La.) said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“No one wanted to put that pain on the American people again. The Democrats forced it. We were insistent that we would not allow that to happen,” he added. “Republicans are going to do the responsible thing.”
Johnson said the current shutdown is far different from last year’s record 43-day shutdown, when both parties remained deadlocked for weeks without a clear path forward.
Last month, the House passed six funding bills intended to keep the government operating for the rest of the fiscal year. Senate Democrats rejected the package following the Jan. 24 shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Instead, lawmakers reached a compromise to pass five of the six bills and place the sixth — funding the Department of Homeland Security — on a temporary two-week extension while negotiations continue.
Because the House was in recess last week, it was unable to vote on the new $1.2 trillion package. Congress has already approved six of the required 12 appropriations bills, meaning agencies not covered by those measures were forced to shut down.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has demanded that the Trump administration tighten warrant rules, end roving ICE patrols, increase “accountability” for immigration officers, require officers to remove face coverings, and mandate the use of body cameras.
Johnson rejected several of those demands, particularly removing masks and forcing agents to display identification.
“Those two things are conditions that would create further danger,” Johnson said on Fox News Sunday, citing concerns raised by border czar Tom Homan.
“Some of these conditions and requests that they’ve made are obviously reasonable and should happen,” Johnson added on Meet the Press. “But others are going to require a lot more negotiation.”
Trump has already begun modifying his enforcement strategy in Minnesota under “Operation Metro Surge,” placing Homan in charge and announcing plans to reduce the number of federal personnel deployed there.
Despite those moves, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) privately told Johnson that he cannot guarantee Democratic support for the funding deal. Publicly, Jeffries has remained noncommittal.
Republicans are particularly concerned that Democrats will refuse to help fast-track the bill under a procedure known as “suspension of the rules,” which requires a two-thirds majority. With narrow margins and potential GOP defections, Johnson would need dozens of Democratic votes to succeed.
If that effort fails, Johnson is expected to rely on the slower, traditional legislative process through the House Rules Committee before bringing the bill to the floor.
The Rules Committee is scheduled to consider the funding package Monday.
“We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town,” Johnson said. “And because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we’ve got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own. I think that’s very unfortunate.”
