Speaker Johnson Urges Democrats to Pass CR, End Government Shutdown Pain

Plea to End Government Shutdown

• 📢 Speaker Mike Johnson is appealing directly to moderate and centrist Democrats in the Senate to vote to reopen the government.
• 🎯 He believes that the current leadership (Schumer and Jeffries) will not vote to reopen the government due to fear of alienating their leftist base.
• 💔 Johnson's core message is to "stop the pain" for the American people caused by the ongoing shutdown.

Bipartisan Talks and CR

• 🤝 While not present in meetings, Johnson is aware of bipartisan talks among senators aiming to reopen the government and move forward on ACA votes.
• 📜 He reminds that the House passed a clean, nonpartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) on September 19th in good faith to prevent this shutdown.
• ⚠️ The speaker expresses dismay at the situation, calling it a "political game" that is "sickening" and not a genuine attempt at success.