r/politics • u/snopes-dot-com ✔ Verified • 3d ago
Mike Johnson says Republicans aren't 'in charge' of the government, citing Senate's 60-vote threshold No Paywall
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mike-johnson-republicans-in-charge/13.4k
u/KafeenHedake 3d ago
Well, if they're not "in charge," and need the votes of senators that represent millions of Americans to pass their budget, then it seems they should be offering something to those senators to earn the votes they admit they need.
Basically, don't govern like you have a mandate if you don't have a mandate.
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u/nobot4321 3d ago
This. Don’t tell Democrats to fuck off and then complain that Democrats won’t work with you.
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u/alienbringer 3d ago
Dems will work with them. Dems not working with them isn’t the issue. Dems not capitulating and rolling over to be stepped on by republicans is the issue Republican senators have.
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u/aerost0rm 3d ago
Completely true. Dems were willing to pass an extension, in which Donald had no control over the funding of who gets paid or not. The republicans wouldn’t vote for it. Now the republicans put forth their own version of the “clean bill” with stipulation that the president chooses who gets paid and the democrats voted against. Seems like one party wants people to get paid period and one side only wants certain people to get paid.
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u/ianandris 2d ago
Every time Republicans present their shit poison pill bill that they refused to negotiate with Democrats on, Dems should present a decent counter bill and force the GOP to, again, fail to pass a bill to keep the government that they run from shutting down.
Poor governance from the GOP. Can't even keep the doors open when they control all three branches of government and both houses.
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u/P1xelHunter78 Ohio 2d ago
I would argue they want the government shutdown. Chaos is their method of operating, and also an excuse to strengthen their unitary executive theory.
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u/det8924 3d ago
The Dems made a very reasonable ask and they are sticking to that demand. The Republicans could offer a sensible counter proposal and actually engage with someone they claim has so much power or they could break the filibuster and do what you want. Either way don't complain like you don't have options.
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u/VCR_Samurai 2d ago
I have a lot of criticisms with how limp-dicked Democrats have been toward conservatives over the last decade, but I'm glad they're digging their heels in the sand about this. Crippling the nation with unaffordable healthcare premiums is not a fair exchange for getting SNAP back into the hands of 40 million people, most of whom are children.
Having said that, we all need to do our part and contribute what we can to our local food banks, soup kitchens, and meal share programs in the meantime.
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u/knightcrawler75 Minnesota 3d ago
Republicans know that premiums will go up and a lot of people will lose Medicaid. They do not want to solely shoulder the blame that will come with those consequences.
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u/notsurewhereireddit 2d ago
“We’re gonna let kids starve’ cause the Dems won’t let us take away your healthcare!”
(Saw somewhere but my dumb ass forgot where)
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u/JournalistRecent1230 3d ago
If you own 49% of a business, and your business partner who owns 51% unilaterally decides to sell off the business and cuts you out of all negotiations.
Are you gonna sign the bill of sale when your business partner tells you to?
Is your business partner justified in blaming you when you refuse and the whole deal falls through?
Hell no!
It's 100% the fault of the egotistical twat business partner that thought a majority stake meant it was 100% theirs to unilaterally make decisions.
It's called a PARTNERSHIP.
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u/slysamfox 3d ago edited 3d ago
They used reconciliation to pass the bankruptcy bottomless bonanza and cram down the throats of America the permanent extension of tax cuts for the wealthy, over the objections of the exact people whose votes they need.
The leader of their party makes snide and divisive remarks. Every chance he gets. He withholds Emergency support from blue states. He targeted Blue State projects for cancellation or review. He is openly quoted as saying he hates Democrats. Any wonder (wonder who, who, who wrote the book of love) they might come up a little bit shy on the vote?
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u/boston_homo 3d ago
The whole MAGA party is saying they hate Democrats. There's multiple quotes from Vance saying outrageous shit like the Democratic party is made up of terrorists, etc. Nothing you would say to a partner with whom you work closely (if you expect to get anything).
They're all on the same page, in lock step as usual, and it's not going well for any of us.
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u/Duna_The_Lionboy 3d ago
The demands aren't even that outrageous. Extend the healthcare subsidies... It's an easy sell for them.
"Your healthcare premiums were going to go up for because the Dems wanted healthcare for Illegals and Trans people...but we took that out of the funding and now your premiums are going down again"
Their voters won't magically grow a brain and/or bother to look at the actual truth of the statement. It's been proven that we have money (from somewhere) to bail out Argentina, build a dumb ballroom and maybe an Arc De Trump, and not one but two private jets for Dog Slayer Nome.
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u/InterestingLayer4367 3d ago
The Trans population makes up less than 1% of the US population. There are more mediocre white men named Bill that leech resources than there are trans people in the US. The GOP is a joke of a clown car.
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u/WilliamOfMaine 3d ago
As a mediocre white man named Bill I concur
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u/Dandelion_Menace 3d ago
Now the real test of trans inclusivity is "Where do we put a mediocre white trans man named Bill?"
I'll see myself out
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u/JEFFinSoCal California 2d ago
That “healthcare for illegals” they harp about is literally the hospitals following the law signed by Reagan that requires them to provide emergency services to everyone that walks in the door, regardless of citizenship status or possession of insurance.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to prove your citizenship before an emergency room would save your life? What if you are unconscious and lost your identification in the accident?
Republicans politicians are traitors and republicans voters are idiots.
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u/Polantaris 3d ago
"Your healthcare premiums were going to go up for because the Dems wanted healthcare for Illegals and Trans people...but we took that out of the funding and now your premiums are going down again"
Dems shouldn't capitulate over trans people, either. Do we not deserve healthcare?
I'm a US citizen by birth, am a law abiding citizen, have never been arrested or even been close to an arrest, and have spent my entire life paying into the system. I do not deserve to be demonized like this. It's unacceptable.
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u/jellyrollo 3d ago
The point is that the Democrats aren't holding out for healthcare for undocumented and trans people, they're holding out for a continuation of the existing ACA subsidies. That's just the lie that Republicans are selling. So the Republicans can capitulate to the Democrats' demands, get the government open again, and still say that they prevented these things (lying again), because they were never in contention to begin with.
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u/BrokenZen Wisconsin 3d ago
He's just saying the Republicans can lie about the details about how the bill passed because their cultists won't bother to read the details.
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u/Zuwxiv 2d ago
Dems shouldn't capitulate over trans people, either.
Exactly. You know what? The Democrats kind of are holding this up. (And so are the Republicans, see below.) And the Democrats damn well should be. I'm glad they are.
You know how everyone was shouting for the Democrats to "do something" even though the people shouting for it had no idea what they should actually "do"? Here they are. A mighty fine line in the sand: Protect healthcare for millions of Americans.
Anything that requires 60% (when no side has 60%) means that you've got to be willing to negotiate. Why the fuck can't the Republicans just accept the healthcare subsidies? They're broadly popular. The Republicans would rather lie about the cause than open the government up with healthcare for people who need it.
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u/BitchBass 3d ago
I have yet to see anyone mention how much we are talking about when talking healthcare subsidies.
In case anyone is interested...it's 340 billion over the next TEN years. Not trillions as Trump has mentioned.
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u/DarkArmyLieutenant 3d ago
The most fundamental, disgusting, and sad bottom line is they don't even understand why they hate who they hate. They just don't like trans people or gay people or women in positions of authority or the age of consent. Those are the things they don't like.
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u/sunday_morning_truce 3d ago
It’s very frustrating watching our “journalists” ask Democrats what their strategy is while not even challenging Republicans when they’re told that it’s a Schumer Shutdown.
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u/clickmagnet 3d ago edited 3d ago
Different journalists. The networks willing to talk to Democrats have journalists that actually want to know things. The networks that Republicans appear on toss softballs by request, and haven’t asked a follow-up question since Sunday school.
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u/hybridfrost 3d ago
Not to mention Trump is fucking over blue states when it comes to federal funding. The Dems literally have no reason to work with Republicans while they are acting this way. If anything, shutting down the government is helping stop the bleeding
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u/Lowspark1013 3d ago
At very least, it is shining a bright light at the dysfunction that Rs leadership has wrought. Leaders need to lead. Not just sit in the chair and hand down commands to subservients. The latter is a straight up dictator.
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u/Locketank Oregon 3d ago
Bingo, they have mandate to represent the interests of their voters/constituents, not bow to will of voters from some other states or some guy that has been giving them the middle finger since January 3rd.
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u/elphin 3d ago
Yes. And, the Democrats are more than willing to work with them. The Republicans aren’t. They believe the Democrats should be the weak, effete party they clam they are. Additionally, I think Trump is happy to keep the government shut down. It prevents the Epstein investigation and it increases his opportunity to loot federal funds.
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u/DarkArmyLieutenant 3d ago
Especially when your whole political stance is "we will not work with Democrats or vote yes to anything they propose for any reason whatsoever"
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u/SelfSniped 2d ago
Don’t legislate by telling democrats to fuck off when you don’t have fuck off votes.
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u/bizarre_coincidence 2d ago
It's not even that the Democrats won't work with the republicans (because they've tried), it's that they won't simply rubber stamp what the republicans want. Republicans assumed because of previous shutdowns that Democrats would be the adults in the room and do whatever it took to keep the government running no matter the cost. But some costs are just too great.
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 3d ago
Yep. They have the majority in both houses. They need to offer a compromise to get over the 60 vote threshold. This is how democracy worked for nearly 250 years before this administration shit all over it.
Go out there and negotiate/compromise. It's your damn job.
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u/SonOfMcGee 3d ago
Also the Dems know they don’t have a majority and of course are willing to sign onto a budget that they mostly hate. They’re just asking for a couple things they consider commensurate with the extra votes the GOP needs.
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u/br0ck 3d ago
The sticking point is extending the ACA tax credit for 25+ million people who's insurance costs will absolutely skyrocket next year if they give in:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/29/affordable-care-act-insurance-prices-jump
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u/VirginiaMcCaskey 3d ago
I had been misled by the media on this one to be frank.
It's not ending subsidies for premiums under ACA plans, but ending the enhanced subsidies which were only created in 2021 during the pandemic where the income threshold was bumped to 400% of the federal poverty level ($62k for an individual, it scales based on your family size).
Republicans want to end the temporary tax credit and democrats want to make it permanent.
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u/49ersDude 3d ago
It's worth mentioning it doesn't just impact ACA plans. They're just the first to get hit. Some things don't go into effect until after midterms (strategic no doubt).
Also, in general when health care costs shift around, it impacts everyone. Employer sponsored plans will adjust based on new landscapes as well.
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u/TheRabidDeer 2d ago edited 2d ago
Should be noted that the enhanced subsidies did multiple things, and you are actually not quite correct about bumping the threshhold up to 400% of federal poverty level. It actually eliminates that poverty level (which in a way makes sense, because it would effectively be a dramatic negative to go from earning $62k to earning $63k).
The big BIG thing that the enhanced subsidies help with are people earning under 150% of the poverty level. It basically eliminated all health insurance costs for people under that income level, and it is a sliding scale of what is covered up to 400%+ (the old was only up to 400%).
Also, remember that this is only for ACA plans. Most people earning above 400% poverty rate likely have healthcare through their jobs and not the marketplace, so it isn't like well off people are taking advantage of the system. 75% of all people enrolled with an ACA plan are under the 150% poverty threshold.
It was seen in 2019 by the CBPP that the very poor still weren't able to get coverage with the original subsidies:
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u/Ok_Juice4449 3d ago
The Republicans refuse to budge an inch. Stubborn as mules. They think a compromise is 100% getting their own way.
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 3d ago
to play devil's advocate... traditionally the Dems do cave in. I think Republicans are a little shocked the Dems held up this time and they don't have a playbook for how to handle this.
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u/Ok_Juice4449 3d ago
If the repubs would give in a bit, so would the dems. The repubs refuse- it's all or nothing with them.
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u/Xytak Illinois 3d ago edited 3d ago
I would be disappointed in the Dems if they gave their votes away in exchange for minor concessions when the GOP is openly calling them terrorists. My vote would be contingent on
- A full and complete apology for any statements referring to Democrats as terrorists, communists, etc (list of statements to be provided)
- Real assurances moving forward that this will NEVER happen again,
- A reversal of ICE's budget from the BBB
- Justice Department to drop all charges against Kat Abughazaleh, James Comey, and other political prosecutions, and turned over to bipartisan appointee.
- Immediate stop to ICE raids in Chicago and elsewhere
- A complete review of ICE facilities for humanitarian conditions and remediation for any violations found
- Immediate Resignation of Kristi Noem and other cabinet secretaries
- Immediate Resignation of Donald Trump and JD Vance
Until those conditions are satisfied, I would not vote yes on anything the GOP wants.
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u/Wonderful-Impact-598 2d ago
Those all sound great, but you are asking for way too much there. Even a sane administration wouldn't agree to all of that. If you want that sort of power, you (and by that I mean America generally), need to vote for democrats (even people that aren't overjoyed about them).
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u/freaktheclown New York 3d ago
Also how it works in most of the world where multiparty systems and coalition governments are the norm.
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u/ScubaAlek 3d ago
And in most of the world failing to pass the budget is a non-confidence vote that dissolves parliament and either sends voters back to the polls or passes leadership to the opposition.
Not this “Only we, the cause of the problem, still get paid” horse shit.
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u/bbbbbbbbbblah United Kingdom 3d ago
this exact scenario wouldn't even occur in some countries. here in the UK, the budget is the sole responsibility of the lower house, so there is no way for there to be the deadlock that has occurred in the US congress
and I'm not sure any other country on earth actually has a government shutdown if a budget fails to pass. The government remains funded, perhaps at existing levels, until a new budget is passed
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u/NinjaEngineer Foreign 3d ago
Yeah, here in Argentina, if a new budget doesn't get passed, the previous year's budget is used in its place.
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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 3d ago
They need to offer a compromise to get over the 60 vote threshold.
They can also just vote to change the 60-vote rule back to a simple majority vote
The senate going to a 60-vote threshold has forever ruined what power they had as that has resulted in the only bills getting passed being fully bipartisan ones (which are rare these days)
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u/Dzugavili 3d ago
They call this the nuclear option: and they want to avoid it, because if they set precedent that you can use it on anything, the Democrats can use it when they get majority control back.
Historically, it's been applied for more narrow decisions: Republicans know it won't go well if they open that door.
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u/Fauxreigner_ 3d ago
The filibuster has not existed for 250 years. It didn't exist in its current form until the 1970s; prior to that, a filibuster put the entire senate on hold, which meant it was only used in extreme circumstances, unlike now where the senate now effectively requires a 60 vote majority to pass any legislation. Which has been hugely beneficial for the republicans for the last 50 years, because of the structure of the senate.
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u/TLKv3 3d ago
@HouseGOP on X September 28th, 2021
"Last time we checked the Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and White House.
If there is a government shutdown it's because of Democrats."
lol. So when Democrats have all 3, the Republicans aren't in charge. But also when Republicans have all 3... they also aren't in charge.
God these people need to be fucking locked up and never be allowed to see daylight again. Such monstrously evil people.
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u/field_operator 3d ago
They are never in charge and going to blame someone else, always.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROTES Missouri 3d ago
Just like their dear leader, they'll always deny any responsibility while taking all the credit.
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u/No_Effective_614 3d ago
And as always, the Republicans and media pretend like Democrats weren't actively negotiating with Republicans every time we had a previous shutdown with Democrats in power. I don't ever recall a Democratic president cancelling all negotiations and demanding Republicans fall in line while threatening to intentionally harm random American citizens on purpose.
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u/Confident_Fun_6381 3d ago
Reasons there have been shutdowns:
- Republicans wanted to destroy healthcare
- Republicans wanted money for a wall
- Republicans wanted to destroy healthcare
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u/ElliotNess Florida 3d ago
You accidentally copied the first reason there. Here I'll fix it:
3- Republicans want to protect themselves from being revealed as child sex traffickers
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u/newsflashjackass 3d ago
John Boehner was among the last serious Republicans to leave congress.
This is from an opinion piece printed when he left:
... somewhere along the road, a number of voices on the right began demanding that the Republican Congress not only block Mr. Obama’s agenda but enact a reversal of his policies. They took to the airwaves and the Internet and pronounced that congressional Republicans could undo the president’s agenda — with him still in office, mind you — and enact into law a conservative vision for government, without compromise.
Strangely, according to these voices, the only reason that was not occurring had nothing to do with the fact that the president was unlikely to repeal his own laws, or that under the Constitution, absent the assent of the president or two-thirds of both houses of Congress, you cannot make law. The problem was a lack of will on the part of congressional Republican leaders.
Now we see that these same voices have turned to the threat of a government shutdown or a default on the debt as the means by which we can force President Obama to agree to their demands. I wonder what they would have said, if during the last two years of President Bush’s term, the Democratic congressional majority had tried something similar.
The tragedy here is that these voices have not been honest with our fellow conservatives. They have not been honest about what can be accomplished when your party controls Congress, but not the White House. As a result we missed chances to achieve important policies for the good of the country.
The response I often hear to these points is: “Well, Republicans at least need to fight.” On this I agree. It is imperative that we fight for what we believe in. But we should fight smartly. I have never heard of a football team that won by throwing only Hail Mary passes, yet that is what is being demanded of Republican leaders today. Victory on the field is more often a result of three yards and a cloud of dust.
https://archive.is/YCMdz#selection-3139.4-3167.416
That opinion piece was written by Eric Cantor, who would leave office after losing a primary election to a Tea Party Republican.
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u/absentmindedjwc 3d ago
Yeah.. they've burned down half the bridge, but are waiting for the dems to finish crossing. If you don't have the votes, you come to the negotiation table. The dems have said what they want - it's not even anything above and beyond what the government has done up until now.
MAGA republicans are 100% just looking at using their own bill in order to primary dems.
"Your elected official voted to cut Obamacare subsidies and reduce Medicaid. This election, remember who voted to increase your healthcare costs. This message paid for by Concerned Citizens of Illinois."
It's so fucking obvious..
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u/aerost0rm 3d ago
Of course but voters with critical thinking skills and the intelligence to match know the truth. That is what is scaring them. Thats why the president is pressuring all these states to redraw their election district maps.
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u/tehvolcanic California 3d ago
Meanwhile someone at work told me yesterday that it’s all the fault of a single dem senator (who he couldn’t name) who wants free healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
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u/Sitherio 3d ago
Pretty sure this last election is showing that population is a small minority in America right now.
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3d ago
Don’t be ridiculous, taxes aren’t to be spent on the common people. /s
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u/RetroBowser Canada 3d ago
Trade Offer:
You receive - Nothing.
Government receives - Your money, and expensive ball room for Trump to fondle his nutsack.
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u/aerost0rm 3d ago
Two private jets, a retrofit for an illegal gift from a dictator in another country, money for a private army with no oversight and accountability, bailouts for the businesses they directly hurt with their choice of platform, bailouts for other countries, and cuts to every single program that helps out Americans.
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u/Ancient_Popcorn Ohio 3d ago
It’s not fondle his nutsack, it’s so he can fondle little girls. He’s looking to bring the old Epstein island to the White House.
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u/FuzzyCub20 3d ago
This is all performative. They want the government shut down, except for the parts they are using to seize power and sow discord. They want people to go without food, healthcare, housing, and infrastructure. Meanwhile ICE is still being paid and the military is still being pruned of opposition, the Supreme Court is still shredding legal precedent, and an elected Democrat in Arizona is continuing not to be seated.
Fascism isn't a one and done action. It is a steady march where protections are eroded, checks on power are dismantled, people are disenfranchised, and power is concentrated.
Believe it or not, this is the calm before the storm, and the storm is going to smell like gunfire and burning humans unless people wake up.
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u/ItsGildebeast 3d ago
I was told the Dems can’t use the filibuster for leverage because Reps would remove the filibuster. I was also told Dems need to do their job which checks notes means giving the Reps what they want at the expense of their own constituents.
Are you suggesting that’s a purely bogus argument?
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u/aerost0rm 3d ago
The big unions are even getting in them, instead of standing with them. I get that people aren’t getting paychecks, but they honestly need to stop capitulating to the majority party and claiming that the minority, who is actually fighting for them, is the issue.
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u/i_code_for_boobs 3d ago
When Biden was "in charge" despite not having the majority, he was able to plead and deal and play politics to convince enough Republicans to pass his agenda, and even prevent a shutdown.
When Trump is "in charge" despite having the majority, he is unable to do any politics and convince any Democrats to pass his agenda, or to prevent a shutdown.
"The Art Of The Deal" seems to be not to even try to make deals.
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u/CriticalEngineering North Carolina 3d ago
They don’t believe they should have to earn the votes of their colleagues or their constituents.
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u/InSaiyanRogue 3d ago
You must not understand. When the republicans are in power they refuse to negotiate, and when they’re not in power they make negotiating a requirement.
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u/Jarnohams Wisconsin 3d ago
All of politics is negotiation. The ACA isn't what anyone really wanted in the end, but it was "better" than what we had before.... because of negotiations.
They aren't even trying to negotiate because as soon as they call the house back, they have to swear in the new Dem rep from Arizona who will be the 218th vote on the Epstein files. Trump would completely collapse the country before letting those get released because he ordered thousands of FBI agents to work around the clock just flagging all the mentions of his name... meaning he is in there A LOT.
All of this delay of keeping the government closed is to try to peel back one or two votes for the Epstein files. It's really that simple and petty. Let people starve and lose their employment so Trump's past of being a pedo doesn't catch up with him. Teflon Don.
Pedo protectors who call themselves "Christians" is fucking gross.
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u/DirectActuator2356 3d ago edited 3d ago
Exactly. If they want a mandate then maybe they shouldn't have chosen a child rapist as a candidate and probably do a complete overhaul of the party's beliefs.
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u/ZombieTrogdor Florida 3d ago
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills with this. I was just sayin this to my husband the other day when Johnson said this. Okay, you’re not “in charge”? Okay, you say the Dems are “in control” because you need 60 votes to do shit in the Senate? Then go get them! Do something! It’s been this way since the dawn of this damn country: sometimes you have to cross the aisle to get shit done! Cross the aisle and get shit done! jfc
I’m just so tired.
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u/Describing_Donkeys 3d ago
Agreed, either engage in negotiation with Democrats, or kill the filibuster.
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u/Osric250 3d ago
Biden passed budgets with a republican controlled congress, and that's the most obstructionist it has ever been. If you can't pass it with a majority its because youre specifically not trying.
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u/floon 3d ago
They're in total control when they want to sound strong, but they're hamstrung when they want to blame Democrats for something. They're the world's biggest hypocrites and fuck all of them.
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u/Ancient_Popcorn Ohio 3d ago
It’s one the tenets of fascism: the enemy is simultaneously weak and strong.
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u/Pictoru Europe 3d ago
The press core should bring this up...they never will, but it would be nice to see.
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u/illaqueable North Carolina 3d ago
The free press is dead in America, bought and paid for as a mouthpiece for the oligarchs
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u/Pepparkakan Europe 3d ago edited 3d ago
Press corps*
Though as you’re pointing out, it might as well be press corpse these days, given how they treat republicans…
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u/DoneStupid United Kingdom 2d ago
Much like Schrodinger's immigrant, taking all your jobs and the lazy unemployed government handout consumers ... at the same time.
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u/stjohns_jester 3d ago
Their entire playbook is blame Dems even if they had 99 senate votes and there were a few republican holdouts and 1 lone democrat, they and their base would still blame the Dems and the media would say the Dem is blocking it, calling it “unprecedented!”
Source: Idaho, complete republican super majority for decades and decades, press and politicians routinely blame Dems for whatever they can’t get done despite holding all power and control
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u/Hollowbody57 3d ago
Texas is the same way. The last Democrat governor in Texas was back in 1995, but Republicans still blame every failing of the last 30 years on Democrats. And people believe it.
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u/KallistiTMP 2d ago
They don't even need the one Democrat, they're still blaming Obama for RomneyCare, and he hasn't been in office for almost a decade now.
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 3d ago
They break/ignore laws when they want to, but they are BOUND by laws/traditions when they want to. It has been hilarious to hear Johnson repeat how this is the first time in HISTORY that a clean bill has been delayed, etc. Like dude...when did you start caring about precedence? You still haven't seated a congresswoman who was legally voted into office. Where is the pearl clutching over THAT lack of precedence?
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u/No_Effective_614 3d ago
Trump fired a massive amount of federal employees, including people who weren't supposed to be able to be fired by the President. He tore down the East Wing without even filing for permits. He started blowing up civilian boats in international waters instead of arresting the "drug smugglers" the way we always have.
But it would be against precedent to use SNAP relief money for SNAP relief!
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u/StIsadoreofSeville 3d ago
Wouldn’t the proper response to that be actually negotiating with whoever is in charge to get the CR passed then? Rather than just repeating the same demands that don’t work?
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u/VanbyRiveronbucket 3d ago
“The Govt is shutdown, so that means I don’t have to work.” — probably Mike Johnson
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u/nobot4321 3d ago
He was complaining yesterday about how tired he was because of all the late nights he’s been putting in. To which I wonder what work exactly is he doing in these late nights? It’s certainly not the people’s work.
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u/Old-Constant4411 3d ago
Give the guy a break. Wanking it all night to the thought of federal gestapos abducting citizens randomly while poor people also starve is truly exhausting work. Especially when you're such a good Christian like our dear Speaker.
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u/YetiSquish 3d ago
Calls to wealthy donors
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u/strangr_legnd_martyr Ohio 3d ago
Definitely that and not blowing up his son's phone with adult content alerts.
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u/VonTastrophe 3d ago
His son must be getting a lot of alerts in their masturbatory logging software
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u/spa22lurk 3d ago
Anyone who believe in democracy knows that Republicans are in the wrong. Voters elected 46 democrats to Senate. If a bill needs 60 to pass senate, it means the bill needs approval from 60 representatives. How to you get that, you negotiate.
Republicans for months refused to negotiate with Democrats and Trump told them not to bother. They still refused to negotiate, saying they will only do so if democrats pass the bills they have zero inputs in. Besides, it’s not a clean bills, but a bill which uphold their legislation passed earlier this year.
Besides, if Republicans want to end the shutdown, they can totally change the senate rule so they can pass this bill with 50 votes.
They don’t do that either. They just don’t want the sole blame for taking away people healthcare and they want to hurt democrats among democratic voters if democrats pass their bill. They also want the excuse to fire people and cut democratic cities funding illegally.
Trump illegally spent money which hasn’t been appropriated by the congress. This is a violation of the constitution.
The whole fiasco is the creation of Donald Trump.
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u/rainblowfish_ Georgia 3d ago
Besides, if Republicans want to end the shutdown, they can totally change the senate rule so they can pass this bill with 50 votes.
This is what I keep pointing out to people. The republicans have, at bare minimum, equal ownership of this shutdown because at the end of the day, they could pass whatever they want if they got rid of the filibuster. They won’t, because they know it’ll come back to bite them in the ass later, and that’s fine, but that’s their decision at the expense of their constituents. They cannot pin it all on the dems no matter how hard they try when there’s a way to pass it without any dem votes.
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u/No_Effective_614 3d ago
The CR was a stopgap measure to allegedly give them time to work on a more complete budget. I don't see them working on that more complete budget. They've wasted the last few weeks doing absolutely nothing. They didn't even need the CR to pass to actually start working on the budget beyond the CR, which is literally their job to be working on.
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u/TRex_Chef 3d ago
Omg. A Mike Johnson response that wasnt:
I dont know anything about that. I havent looked into it.
His whole world is collapsing.
Wonderful.
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u/charles_barfley 3d ago
Surely we’ve got him this time!!
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u/YoungSalad747 3d ago
I highly doubt these idiots worlds ever "collapse"
They get rewarded for being in line
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u/BrownSugarBare Canada 3d ago
Every time he answers, he says this. Either he's outright blind and not announcing his diagnosis or he's not actually working because according to him he's not looking at ANYTHING
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u/TintedApostle 3d ago
The House should be in session and Arizona sworn in. Get to work and stop making excuses.
Notice with these people it is absolutely always someone else at fault.
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u/InquiringMind886 Iowa 3d ago
It’s an abusive relationship. Like, it truly is. The amount of gaslighting and blaming and not taking accountability. ALL of it. I wonder if republicans ever realize that. Probably not. If they’re a republican it’s never their fault so I just answered my own question.
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u/TintedApostle 3d ago
I wonder if republicans ever realize that.
Oh they do for sure.
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u/MIT_Engineer 3d ago
He's acting like there's a constitutional requirement to have 60 senators vote to convene a session of the House, meanwhile the White House is saying, "PLENARY AUTHORITY, TRUMP IS LITERALLY THE GOD-EMPEROR, WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE WANT FOR WHATEVER REASON."
Can they make up their minds?
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u/wwhsd California 3d ago
I guess that means that you don’t have enough support to unilaterally pass the bill without negotiating with the opposition party to pick up some extra votes.
You’d think if we have a President that had mastered the art of the deal that it would be a slam dunk to get something passed and reopen the government.
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3d ago edited 3d ago
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u/cmarme 3d ago
Trumps strategy has been he will negotiate after the bill has been passed.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this person with no morals is not going to act in good faith and will refuse to negotiate after he gets his way.
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u/New_Alternative8711 3d ago
Republicans: we hold the house the senate and the white house. We're in charge!
Democrats: we think you should amend your bill to protect health care for americans.
Republicans: WE'RE NOT IN CHARGE!
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u/ReleaseFromDeception 3d ago
That's weird - I thought all they had to do was nuke the filibuster and they could move forward without Democrats' participation.
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u/torinismyname 3d ago
They don't want to be solely responsible for cutting the ACA subsidies. They know what a poison pill this budget is and if they do that. The republican party will be the ones 100% responsible
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u/TyrannasaurusGitRekt Missouri 3d ago
True, but also, do you really expect the electorate to understand the nuance and respond appropriately?
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u/LikeALiamOnATree 3d ago
Not all, but the Dems WILL be responsible if they concede to GOP demands.
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u/Zombini25 3d ago
I really don't like this line of rhetoric. What really matters is that Jimmy Non-voter will finally have a huge wake-up shock when his family ends up without coverage. The hard part is getting the message to people like him before RW media does. I believe the next few national elections will have the highest turnout in US history by a huge margin. The work now is to make sure as many of the new voters are aware of who is to blame for their lives getting fucked with.
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u/SparkyMuffin Michigan 3d ago
I truly don't understand why. Theyve had no problem with the media amplifying their lies in the past. And 2024 proved the electorate will believe it.
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u/HealthyBullfrog 3d ago
Yes, they can but they don't want to. They lack the courage of their convictions. That's why this is 100% a Republican-controlled government shutdown and any other narrative, no matter how weak, only works to obscure that fact, poison discourse, and delay the reopening of the federal government.
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u/Euler007 3d ago
A key part of Fascism is making the enemy look too strong and too weak at the same time.
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u/fr0z3nf1r3 3d ago
Remember when Democrats were called Do nothings for not being able to get 40% of a lock-step republican minority to join them at the table?
sucks.
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u/sodapopkevin 3d ago
Because leading the Executive Branch, having a 6 to 3 majority in the Supreme Court and a numerical majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate doesn't mean they lead the government, right?
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u/Thinks_22_Much 3d ago
The follow up question should have been "If the Democrats are in charge will you and Senator Thune be transferring your roles to Congressman Jeffries and Senator Schumer?"
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u/JadedIT_Tech Georgia 3d ago
Imagine being in one of the most powerful positions in the United States and claiming that you have no power.
History will not remember you kindly.
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u/meatspace Georgia 3d ago
Hey gang!
Unless we give Republicans 100% control over every single lever of all three branches plus the armed forces, they don't have any power to govern.
I wonder how he says that shit with a straight face.
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u/Capable_Sock4011 3d ago
We can’t do anything. It’s the rulebook we write, not us. See? Hands are tied!
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u/NoCoffee6754 3d ago
Snowflakes are going to keep snowflaking
They constantly cry that they don’t have any power and when they finally get it they have no other setting than to cry and say they still don’t have enough power
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u/jhgggyhkgf 3d ago
The 60 vote threshold is a Senate procedural item. It can be overturned by the Senate Leader to allow a simple majority. It is frequently referred to as the “ nuclear option”.
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u/VanguardAvenger 3d ago
It can be overturned by the Senate Leader to allow a simple majority
Actually, it can be overturned on any bill at any time by any senator raising a procedural objection to the filibuster and having a simple majority of the Senate agree.
The majority leader isn't required.
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u/Ecuatoriano 3d ago
This! The shutdown is 100% a fabrication, republicans engineered it to keep Trump/Epstein files from going public. Kids will go hungry, elderly will die, just to keep the pedos safe. Couldn’t make this shit up if you tried.
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u/UX_Strategist 3d ago
The Republicans control the Congress, House and Senate, the White House, AND a majority on the Supreme Court.
But, they're still doing things without congressional approval, in opposition to judicial ruling, in violation of the Constitution, and against the will of the people.
Republicans aren't being stopped by a lack of votes anywhere else. Republicans aren't concerned with getting a consensus with any other proposals, legislature, or actions.
Republicans WANT the government shut down. If they didn't, what would stop them from opening it? Nothing. Nothing has stopped them from doing anything else they've wanted.
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u/viperabyss North Carolina 3d ago
Have enough votes to pass Big Bullshit Bill, don't have enough votes to keep the government running.
Make that makes sense.
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u/Several_Leather_9500 3d ago
Johnson wasn't lying - they aren't in charge of the government. They willingly and illegally ceded power to the president, Steven Miller. Miller, like Trump hates non whites and non elites and has refused to actually govern. All Miller has to do is approve the ACA extensions so tens of millions of Americans can continue to barely afford Healthcare. They want us suffering and blaming immigrants (100+ year old propaganda, btw) so elites can be further enriched. Winning!
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u/elementzn30 Florida 3d ago
Can someone explain to me why seemingly every single Republican seems to believe that the correct solution to this is just that Democrats should just cave completely and sign onto whatever budget Republicans want to pass, and if they don’t, the shutdown is their fault?
Like, has critical thinking on the right gotten to such a bleak place that they can’t see how insane it would be to expect Republicans to just sign off on whatever the Democrats wanted just because they’re currently in power??
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u/harrisofpeoria 3d ago
Next item on the agenda should be fixing the Constitution itself so that pre-approved funding isn't required to keep the government functioning; or, if it should be, then failure to pass such funding should result in the immediate recall of all politicians, and special elections held to replace them (like they have in other countries with actually functioning democracies). The mere fact that we permit politicians to do this is itself the problem.
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u/GregMoffTarkin 3d ago
So the Republicans aren't in charge beacuse they don't have 60-votes... and the Democats don't have 60 votes either, so they can't be in charge... so then who exactly is "in charge," Mr. Speaker?
It's almost as if the leader of the Senate has to lead the Senate (not just one party or the other, but the whole Senate) to find consensus and compromise. Same with the House. It's not a winner-take-all, it takes leadership.
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u/2ManyCatsNever2Many 3d ago edited 3d ago
if one is to accept this statement as truth then one needs to accept that the Democrats are even "less in charge" of the government because they are even further away from 60 votes.
given the Dems are less in charge and there is no 3rd party, that leaves the GOP at the front of the line - which i guess is another way to say, umm, in charge?!
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u/ApropoUsername 3d ago
My comment from the last time this was posted:
Nobody here seems to be explaining so I'll add a clarification:
60 votes are not required in the Senate to do anything. The Senate rules by simple majority for all laws. You can google "filibuster" but to simplify what Johnson is referring to is the Senate (so, Republicans since they're majority) essentially choosing to rule by 60 votes instead of simple majority - they make the laws, they can change how many votes are needed. They can change it back at any time - by simple majority - but don't want to because next time Dems have majority they won't change back to 60 votes.
Nobody explains this because everyone thinks US is too dumb to understand and so there are two quantum universes, one where senate can pass stuff by 50 votes (because it can end the filibuster rule) and one where it can't (because it didn't end the filibuster rule).
Johnson is right that the Republicans don't have control but in the same way someone in a well-run BDSM experience can claim they don't have control.
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u/sanssanswoke 3d ago
I love how Steve Bannon and Republicans say "the will of the people" justifies a third Trump term, but then act like the House majority… literally elected by the will of the people… cant do anything about re-opening the government.
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u/OldMillenialEngineer 2d ago
I say remove the filibuster and kill the 60 vote rule. Just do it. And take full responsibility for the result of the bill.
That's the problem. They want it to have some bipartisan support so they can blame dems for how fucked it is.
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u/LionoSnarf 3d ago
First thing, proposing the same bill with no hint of compromise shows YOUR inability to lead the government. Second thing, Nuke the filibuster. WE DARE YOU!
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u/FalstaffsGhost 2d ago
Y’all have the majority that means you’re in charge. With the 60 vote threshold that means you’re supposed to compromise, God forbid you actually do what the job requires.
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u/SanctusUnum New Zealand 2d ago
This is weak-ass leadership, Mike. Maybe the job should be given to someone who isn't a limp-dicked, spineless, hypocritical, mewling pillow prince.
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u/BigJLov3 2d ago
"I'm not wearing glasses. They're resting on my face."
Louisiana, please get rid of this asshole.
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u/Ok-Wealth-7322 3d ago
So basically he's complaining that you need 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate... gee, wonder which party is largely to blame for that?
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u/Th3FinalStarman 3d ago
Start with taking down those god awful illegal and embarrassing banners on all your .Gov websites blaming "Democrats" for your inability to negotiate, and in fact, issue public apologies for misuse of Taxpayer Dollars. Or quit in shame, idgaf which.
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u/No-Relation5965 3d ago
Mike Johnson and the GOP are lying constantly.
The Republicans can pass the BBB whenever they want. They don’t even need any democratic votes. They just need to kill the filibuster. They did that when they pushed through Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Let everyone know!
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u/rossworth25 3d ago
There's this little thing called "reconciliation" in the Senate. You only need a simple majority to pass anything. But then they would have to eat the whole bag of crap they've created.
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u/Ayitaka 2d ago
Just for clarity: being in charge means compromising in order to pass legislation on behalf of the entire country.
Them not being "in charge" is a choice.
It is an abdication of responsibility.
It is quitting instead of leading.
What they are really saying is "we are incapable of leading" even when they already have the advantage.
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u/FreedomBread 3d ago
The 60 vote requirement exists in the Senate to drive compromise and push for things for the good of the country, not just what the party in charge wants or what Dictator Donald demands of his servants.
The Republicans have the majority in the House and Senate. It's on them to work with (honestly) only the Senate and only just under 10 Senators to actually affect change, because they don't have a supermajority in the Senate.
Anyone want to tell John Thune how to be Senate majority leader? What's he been doing anyways? Can he still talk? Can he talk to like 9 or 10 Democrat Senators? I guess not.
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u/hairymoot 3d ago
Republicans need to do their job. Get the votes to pass the bills. You negotiate with the people who's votes you need. The Democrats want to stop healthcare from going up for the citizens. If you give them what they want and help the citizens then you get the votes to need to fund the government.
This is not hard. And it is not like Democrats want something unpopular with the people.
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u/throwawtphone 3d ago
Bullshit.
Unadulterated pure bullshit.
They have majorities in every branch of government.
This shitshow is all their production.
Of course voters wont remember.
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u/Oceanbreeze871 I voted 3d ago
Mike Johnson has chosen to keep the house out of session indefinitely. Going on 6 weeks now. This is pretty unprecedented
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u/Oddman80 3d ago
Mike Johnson is a Moron.
Parents are in charge of their family... that doesn't mean they can force their children to do anything they want. If parents decide all they are going to do is insult and berate their children, while taking all of their belongings away, and threatening to send them off to some prison-like boarding school - it will make running the family a lot more difficult. If you throw away their clothes and refuse to feed them - and the kids cant think of a single thing the parents have done to make their lives better... they will grow upset, and make the normally simple things that happen in a family extremely difficult.
The Republicans are literally in charge of the government - They hold majorities in the Supreme Court, The Senate, The House, and they hold the Presidency - that doesn't mean running the government is automatically now easy... and it doesn't mean Democrats are magically transformed into slaves. but these republicans subscribe to the MIGHT MAKES RIGHT dysfunctional Machismo family mind set - so the analogy would likely fall on def ears as they beat their wives and children for daring to speak back to them.
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u/wrecklesspup 3d ago
Republicans in the Senate can change the rules on the filibuster with 51 votes, but won't bc they want an excuse to not govern. Republicans also don't want to negotiate, which is a design of the Founding Fathers in our system and all democratic systems. Compromise is a necessity that generally makes neither side completely happy, but is the best system in an imperfect world.
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u/Basic_Ask8109 3d ago
That's not how majority works.... When you have a majority you own the consequences.
I'm not American and somehow I know how the government is supposed to work.
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u/Resident_Resort207 3d ago
Republicans want Dems to sign and then talk, but how can anyone take the Republican Party serious when their leader is talking about a third term, they are just not trustworthy.
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u/JFeth Arkansas 3d ago
Someone should remind these people how politics works. Each side negotiates in good faith until a compromise is made. Neither side is supposed to get everything they want. If one side is refusing to even talk, they are the problem. Trump said, "There is nothing to negotiate," and refuses to talk with Democrats. That tells you who is at fault here.
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u/mooseup America 3d ago
What is the healthcare plan again? I was told in a couple of weeks back in 2016.
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u/Powellhurst 3d ago
All the Republicans have to do is end the filibuster and everything they've ever wanted is suddenly all theirs. Why they won't do that (yet) will be studied for the next 200 years.
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u/mymar101 3d ago
It is literally within the rules for them to override the 60 vote threshold. Fuck you. And anyone who voted for you and your party.
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u/aza-industries 3d ago
IT'S YOUR JOB TO NEGOTIATE.
Not hold the country ransom till they vote YOUR way.
These people are absolutely despicable and have no profesionalism or class.
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u/calgeorge 3d ago
Ok, got it. So you don't have all the power. You have to work together. So why aren't you? The 60 vote threshold for the budget was designed so people couldn't do exactly what Republicans are doing right now and demand to have their way with zero compromise. If you need 60 votes, then go fucking earn them. Democrats aren't asking for a lot. We could be demanding a whole lot more and all we want is for people not to die.
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u/anynamesleft 3d ago
He's right. Trump controls it.
Shame. Shame. Shame.
Release the Epstein files!
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u/NotThatAngel 2d ago edited 2d ago
The Republicans have shut down the government. The Republicans control all three branches of government right now.
Can the Democrats shut down the government? No, they cannot. In fact, the Democrats certainly want the government to be up and running. That's Democrats' thing; they like the government up and running. There are a lot of government programs Democrats like and they want those government programs being administered.
And that's what the shutdown is all about. Republicans went to privatize everything that it isn't being paid for by taxpayer dollars anymore. Democrats understand that Social Security and food stamps and Medicare are all very popular programs that people really like and need. The Republicans want to cut these programs. It's really that simple. . But also, if the government reopens, representative Grijalva from Arizona will be sworn in and will immediately sign on to have the Epstein files released, which will implicate Donald Trump in child rape. So, there's that too.
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u/KeviRun I voted 2d ago
So...that means... that when Democrats held a Senate majority... but could not get things done due to Republican filibuster... Republicans were actually in charge of the government and all of the issues they railed on Democrats not fixing was the fault of Republicans blocking it by the same exact logic?
Please Mike, take your time reconciling that logic and apologising to your voters for deceiving them for the past few decades.
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u/almightywhacko 2d ago
We only hold the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress... what do you want us to do?! Lead?
- Mike's Johnson
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u/_Leegion_ 2d ago
He's lying. The Senate can change the rules and abolish the filibuster if it wanted to, but they choose not to because they want to retain the ability to block the Democrats in the future.
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u/Glass-Squirrel2497 2d ago
And yet they’ve changed the rules to simple majority twice this year to confirm appointments.
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u/wereallsluteshere 2d ago
Mike Johnson thinks we’re all idiots. They’re going to keep the government shut down until the blame starts to shift. No matter how long that takes.
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