U.S. House Speaker Johnson: Expect to end most government shutdowns by Tuesday

Eastern Time, last Saturday, the U.S. government once again faced a partial government shutdown after three months.

However, on Sunday Eastern Time, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he believes he can secure support from the Republican Party to end most of the government shutdown within a few days. Additionally, the House will debate immigration and customs enforcement reform over the next two weeks.

U.S. Government Faces Another Partial Shutdown

Last month, two American citizens in Minneapolis were shot and killed by federal law enforcement officers, sparking widespread public dissatisfaction and deepening divisions between Republicans and Democrats on immigration enforcement issues.

Senate Democratic Leader Schumer later stated that until the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is effectively restrained and reforms are enacted through legislation, the Department of Homeland Security’s funding bill cannot garner enough support in the Senate.

This has resulted in funding delays for most federal agencies—including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, State Department, Department of Labor, and Department of the Treasury—whose expenditures account for over three-quarters of the federal government’s discretionary spending.

Although, on the evening of January 30 local time, the U.S. Senate passed a funding bill with 71 votes in favor and 29 against, which will fund all departments except the Department of Homeland Security (including Defense, Education, HHS, Labor, etc.), the House is still in recess and will reconvene and vote on Monday Eastern Time.

This has caused the U.S. federal government to enter a partial “shutdown” at midnight local time on January 31.

House Prioritizes Funding for Other Departments

House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he believes he can push the Republican-controlled House to pass the funding bill, thereby ending the partial government shutdown within a few days. He said, “Our goal” is to fund all agencies except the Department of Homeland Security “by Tuesday,” and then “we will have two weeks of sincere negotiations to resolve this issue.”

In a televised interview, he said, “I am confident we can at least get this done before Tuesday. The real challenge is getting everyone together.”

Due to a snowstorm, transportation issues in the southeastern U.S. are ongoing.

Johnson expressed confidence that the Trump administration will make changes to some practices at the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, Democrats called for reforms at ICE, such as mandatory body cameras for law enforcement and halting patrols.

This government shutdown differs from the one at the end of last year, when the two parties were at odds over healthcare reform, leading to a record 43-day shutdown that caused approximately $11 billion in economic losses.

(Source: Caixin)