Johnson warns government shutdown could become longest in US history

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., issued a stark warning during a news conference Monday, the 13th day of the government shutdown.

“We are headed for one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats abandon their partisan demands and pass a clear, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers,” the House leader said.

The government went into shutdown almost two weeks ago, on October 1, after Senate Democrats rejected the Republican Party’s federal funding plan. Since then, they have blocked consideration of the same bill six times.

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President Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference at the United States Capitol on the 10th day of the federal government shutdown, October 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

During his press conference, Johnson referenced former President Barack Obama who told a crowd more than a decade ago: “There is a way out of this reckless and damaging Republican paralysis: Congress must pass a budget that funds our government without any partisan strings attached.” »

“What I just read is a direct quote. Those are not my words. They belong to President Barack Obama. He was speaking there in 2013, when our government was shut down for 16 days,” he said. “It would be the third longest government shutdown in American history.”

He added: “If the Democrats continue to obstruct here today, that’s where we’re going to be headed.”

Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, December 5, 2024, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/AP Photo)

The longest shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The second longest period was a 21-day shutdown under former President Bill Clinton between December 1995 and January 1996, followed by the shutdown under Obama.

Currently, the 2025 shutdown is the fifth longest in history, trailing only the 1978 shutdown under former President Jimmy Carter.

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President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, October 13, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans have proposed a seven-week bill extending fiscal 2025 federal funding levels through Nov. 21, called a continuing resolution (CR). It aims to give congressional negotiators more time to reach a longer-term agreement on fiscal year 2026, which began Oct. 1.

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It is largely free of politics — except for an additional $88 million in security funding for lawmakers, the White House and the judiciary — and it has bipartisan support.

It passed the House along mostly partisan lines on September 19. But House and Senate Democrats have been largely exasperated at being left out of negotiations over federal funding and are now demanding that any spending deal also include a COVID-19 pandemic-era extension. Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies which will expire at the end of this year.