House Speaker Mike Johnson sharply criticized Democrats on Fox News, accusing them of putting politics above the needs of the American people amid the ongoing government shutdown. Johnson claimed Democrats are intentionally delaying reopening the government to appease their far-left base. “Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are playing politics with the lives of real American people,” Johnson said. “It’s absurd.”

He pointed out that the Republican-led House passed a clean continuing resolution (CR) three weeks ago to keep the government open and fund federal workers, including the military. “The ball is in the Senate’s court,” he said, blaming Democrats for halting the process.

Johnson also expressed frustration that instead of working to resolve the shutdown, some Democrats are promoting a protest called “No Kings Day,” scheduled for October 18. He described the event as a “pro-Hamas, Antifa-backed rally” and claimed Democrats were hesitant to end the shutdown until after the demonstration to avoid upsetting their base.

Meanwhile, critical services like military pay, TSA operations, FEMA assistance, and nutrition programs for mothers and children remain at risk. Johnson warned that 2 million civilian workers and 1.3 million active-duty troops may miss paychecks.

He ended by calling out Democrats for refusing to accept a bipartisan funding measure. “There has never been, in the history of Congress, a party willing to shut the government down over a clean CR,” he said. “They’re hurting the American people — and I’ve just had it.”

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