Johnson hits Schumer for political stunt

It would now appear that the government shutdown is going to last for a minute.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has managed to put himself into a very tough spot, mostly due to perceived pressure from AOC, who could try to take his seat in his next election.

Since Dems are not moving off their spot in terms of healthcare demands, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has decided to walk away from the table.

Digging In

So far, three Democrats have broken ranks to support the spending bill, but the GOP lost Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who just seems to object to everything these days.

Democrats are now also facing the threat of massive layoffs after a meeting between Trump and the Office of Management and Budget's chief, Russ Vought.

Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) stated, "Russ Vought is a menace whether the government is open or closed. He wakes up figuring, ‘What damage can I do today?’ That's what he does. So, the status of government [being] open or closed, it's not relevant to Russell Vought. He just goes on his rampage every day."

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) added, "How long can Republicans explain to the American people that they want to do nothing to help pay for health insurance?”

Hand Being Forced

As I noted above, there is perceived pressure on Schumer over the threat of AOC taking his seat from him, and the general consensus is that Schumer has to hold firm in order to hold back her challenge.

The GOP has started to push the narrative that it is AOC calling the shots, not Schumer.

For instance, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) openly stated that AOC was running the show, which drew a response from the New York Democrat.

AOC responded, "If senators think that we're having a shutdown because of me, they're free to enter my office and negotiate.”

Johnson Breaks Off Negotiations

The key to all of this is that Democrats want funding that would enable asylum seekers and refugees to get medical coverage, but most of these are individuals whom Biden bent the rules to allow into the country.

Republicans are not going to break on this, and Johnson stated, "Don't ask the Republicans what we should be doing or what we should be negotiating. I don't have anything to negotiate. I sent them, in good faith, exactly what they voted for before.”

Johnson added, "We did not put any Republican provisions in that, and we tried to make this very simple, in good faith, so the appropriations process of the people can continue."

The GOP cannot fold, and I really don’t care how long they have to keep the government closed to break Democrats. I feel horrible for our military and law enforcement who are not being paid right now, but I don’t suspect Dems will be able to hold off that long before cracking, so stay the course and ride this one out.