House Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t come to the table to placate Democrats — he came to expose them. On Greta Van Susteren’s show he tore into the steady stream of Democratic misinformation, calling out the cynical narrative that would have Republicans reopen the government only if they surrender on core policy fights. Johnson made clear conservatives will not negotiate while our nation’s operations are treated like bargaining chips.
This shutdown has become a national emergency for working Americans, and it has now broken the record for the longest government closure in our history. Millions of federal employees and families relying on SNAP and essential services have been squeezed while partisan theater played out in Washington, and the real victims are everyday citizens who pay the bills. The painful fallout — from flight disruptions to furloughed workers — should make it unacceptable for any politician to treat governance as a hostage situation.
There is, however, a pathway off this cliff if lawmakers have the courage to use it, and senators from both parties have quietly been crafting one. The Senate has moved to advance a bipartisan funding plan that would reopen the government through January, forcing Democrats to decide whether they’ll stop posturing and vote to reopen the doors. Americans want the lights back on, not another months‑long fight staged for cable news ratings.
Democrats’ demand that ACA subsidies and sweeping policy concessions be attached to emergency funding is exactly the sort of hostage‑taking Johnson and Republican leadership refused to accept. Forcing unrelated and expensive policy riders into a must‑pass funding bill is a political trick, not governance, and conservatives are right to call it out for what it is. The result of bowing to that strategy would be permanent expansion of the very programs that have driven up costs and strangled working‑class opportunity.
Speaker Johnson’s steady message — reopen the government first, then negotiate the reform battles — is not only principled, it’s practical. Republicans offered to keep negotiating on healthcare reforms and cost reductions, but they will not be blackmailed into funding the federal government while Democrats insist on unrelated giveaways. That clarity is why Johnson’s pushback against the misinformation campaign matters: it keeps the focus on restoring services to Americans who need them now.
Patriots don’t ask for favors; they demand accountability. Congress should reopen the government, protect hardworking taxpayers, and then get to work on meaningful health‑care and budget reforms without hostage tactics. If Republicans stand firm and the American people stay loud, we can end this shutdown with dignity and begin repairing the economy and restoring trust in Washington.
