WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson joined Squawk Box on CNBC to discuss the harmful effects of a Democrat-led government shutdown and urged Leaders Schumer and Jeffries to reject the calls from their far-left base and provide the votes to fund the government.
“Remember, this is exactly the same thing that Chuck Schumer voted for in March and came out and told everybody he had to, it was necessary. He was correct. He was actually being honest in March. He’s not being honest with you right now,” Speaker Johnson said. “Their position right now is pure politics. They’re doing this for Chuck Schumer’s backside, not for the American people. And they are willing to inflict pain to do that.”
Watch Speaker Johnson’s full interview here.
On the harmful effects of a government shutdown:
Chuck Schumer’s got to release a handful of people to come along to do the right thing and keep the doors open for the country. What happens if they don’t? This is really important. I mean, the markets will be rattled, I’m sure, because of the uncertainty that we don’t need to be adding into this. You’ll have a delay of the BLS jobs report which is due October 3. But, importantly, real services, real benefits that the American people depend upon.
Troops won’t be paid. TSA agents won’t be paid. The WIC program, the Women Infants and Children Nutrition program and other food services will be delayed. FEMA services won’t be provided. We have two hurricanes off the coast of the United States right now. I mean, we’re in the middle of hurricane season. This is serious stuff. And Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are playing politics with all these people and the American people’s services, and they’re willing to do it for political cover. That’s the game. They can’t face their far-left base. When they come on the program today, I think you’re having them both, ask Chuck Schumer what his real motivation is. He’ll try to tell you it’s about these issues that end this calendar year, December 31. But what it’s really about, he’s running from AOC and the socialist base of their party who are going to challenge him in his next election. They said he didn’t fight Trump when he did the right thing back in March and did a temporary funding measure. And now he’s got to fight. And it’s shameful.
On Democrats refusing to carry out their most basic duty of funding the government:
We all have a duty, a responsibility, our most basic duty to do that. AOC herself went on the House floor, that’s in the highlight reel, and she said, “it’s not normal to shut the government down when you don’t get exactly what you want.” Exactly. I mean, I never agree with them on anything, but those statements were exactly right. You should play [Leader Jeffries] own words back to him and ask him, what’s changed? The only thing that’s changed today, I’m telling you, it’s about politics.
They’re afraid of the far-Left corners of their base, and they have to show that they’re putting up a fight. At what cost? Real Americans are going to be harmed by this. And it is infuriating to me that they’re willing to do it. You know, you should ask Hakeem about that. Ask him about the people who are going to suffer because of this crazy political decision. It is reckless. And they need to come to their senses and do the right thing. They painted themselves into a corner here. They need to admit that. Keep the government open and then we’ll have all these policy debates. That’s what the process is for.
On Democrats attempting to make the funding deadline an Obamacare-COVID debate:
That provision of the ACA that they’re talking about doesn’t expire until the end of December, not September 30, December 31. That is an eternity in politics to be able to resolve something. In the meeting in the Oval Office yesterday, Leader Thune was talking to Schumer and Jeffries about the issue. And he said, if indeed there is going to be any extension of that, there has to be real reforms to it because it is a broken system. It is basically the American taxpayers subsidizing insurance companies’ premiums continue to go up because Obamacare is a flawed system, okay? There has to be reform. That’s not something you can negotiate in a couple of days. That’s going to take all the month of October or November, assuming that we could even reach agreement on that.
So, they’re trying to force that in because it’s the only thing that they can come on air and argue about. But they know that that deadline is not today. They’re trying to make a December policy debate the issue of the day. And that’s not true today. All we have to do is keep the government open. When the President was in the Oval Office, he told them very simply, listen, your first and most basic responsibility is to keep the government open, and then we’ll have all the discussions. You guys can go squabble about the policy debates as you always do. But right now, that is a red herring. It really is. And everybody who’s watching this understands that.
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