Mike Johnson keeps House out for third week due to government shutdown

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared the House of Representatives out of session for a third straight week in an effort to keep pressure on Senate Democrats in Washington.

The speaker appears to be upping the stakes on lawmakers across the aisle, who continue to reject the Republican Party’s plan to fund government agencies in the short term in favor of health care requirements that Republicans say are unreasonable.

The government shutdown is set to last a third week after Senate Democrats rejected the Republican Party’s federal funding bill seven times, most recently on Thursday.

The House passed the bill on September 19 and has not been in session since. The measure, called a continuing resolution (CR), aims to maintain government funding at current levels through November 21, so that congressional negotiators have more time to reach a longer-term deal for fiscal year 2026.

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Speaker Mike Johnson is canceling votes in the House for the third straight week in an effort to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during the government shutdown. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo; Allison Robbert/AP Photo)

Democrats, furious at being left out of federal funding discussions, have refused to support any spending bill that doesn’t also extend the COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Johnson’s decision was made public Friday afternoon during a brief pro forma session on the House floor. Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days, called “pro forma” sessions, to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.

Pro forma sessions can also be an opportunity for legislators to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have been able to do.

Johnson’s decision comes after he canceled votes on September 29 and 30 in an effort to pressure the Senate to pass the House CR. He also canceled the votes the following week.

The Republican leader of the House of Representatives said Thursday in a private call to his Republican colleagues that he would give them 48 hours’ notice before having to return to Washington.

Senate advances 2026 defense bill after weeks of delay as shutdown extends

The government was dissolved after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)

Johnson has repeatedly suggested, publicly and privately, that he would reopen the House when Senate Democrats relent on the CR.

In the meantime, he is asking House Republicans to stay in their districts to drive home the effects of the government shutdown on ordinary Americans.

That strategy has been rejected by some members of his conference, including those pushing for a standalone vote on legislation ensuring the military is paid during the shutdown.

Without action from Congress or the White House, active-duty military members who are forced to work during the shutdown — as well as others on the federal payroll — risk missing their paychecks on Oct. 15 if the standoff continues.

At least three House Republicans have also suggested they want the House to resume business next week — Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., said so on Thursday’s call, while Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., raised public concerns about X.

Rep. Mike Lawler faces House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the eighth day of the government shutdown, October 8, 2025. (Elizabeth Elkind/Fox News Digital)

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But tensions were high among the few lawmakers in Washington this week, with two Democratic senators facing off against Johnson and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., getting into a screaming match with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., over Obamacare subsidies.

Asked about the conflicts, Johnson suggested that was part of the reason why House lawmakers should stay out of Washington until the shutdown ends.

“I’m a very patient man. But I’m very angry right now because this is a dangerous thing. So, is it better that they are physically separated now? That’s probably the case,” he said Thursday.

“Frankly, I wish that wasn’t the case. But we need to turn down the volume. The best way to turn down the volume is to turn the lights back on and open up government to the people.”