Washington: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed strong confidence on Sunday that he has secured sufficient backing from Republican lawmakers to terminate a partial federal government shutdown by at least Tuesday, signaling that the impasse, which began late last week, may soon be resolved. Johnson made the remarks during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, emphasizing that the focus is on funding nearly all federal operations while continuing negotiations on more contentious budget issues. The announcement provided cautious optimism for government employees and the public, who have faced interruptions in services and uncertainty due to the funding lapse.
The partial shutdown began Saturday after Congress failed to approve a comprehensive funding package in time, coinciding with the House being out of session. Complicating matters, travel disruptions from a severe snowstorm in the southeastern United States delayed the return of several lawmakers. Meanwhile, the Senate had already passed a spending bill aimed at keeping the government running, but the House had not reconvened in time to take it up before funding lapsed, creating a temporary pause in federal operations that affected numerous agencies.
Johnson clarified that the House GOP now has the votes to approve funding for almost all federal agencies with the notable exception of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by Tuesday, allowing most government functions to resume. He added that lawmakers would subsequently pursue “two weeks of good faith negotiation” on DHS funding, particularly addressing immigration enforcement policies, which remain a sticking point between Republicans and Democrats. This approach attempts to separate the urgent need to fund general government operations from politically sensitive issues, allowing for careful deliberation without further disruption.
The Senate-endorsed strategy involves isolating DHS funding from the broader federal budget, enabling departments such as the Pentagon, Labor, Health, and other critical agencies to remain operational through September while lawmakers negotiate contentious immigration policies. The approach is designed to prevent a repeat of the 43-day federal shutdown last autumn, which caused significant economic losses estimated at $11 billion, disrupted public services nationwide, and created uncertainty for millions of federal employees.
Despite the challenges posed by logistics including coordinating lawmakers’ return to Washington after weekend travel disruptions Johnson reiterated his belief that the House can approve the stopgap funding measure by Tuesday. Democrats, however, have indicated that they cannot support the Republican version of the bill due to disagreements over immigration enforcement measures and oversight provisions, creating a delicate negotiation balance that must satisfy both sides while keeping the government operational.
If successful, the measure would temporarily fund the majority of federal agencies and reopen operations halted during the partial shutdown, while providing Congress additional time to finalize a full fiscal-year funding agreement. Lawmakers will continue to grapple with balancing government continuity, partisan priorities, and long-term policy disagreements, particularly on immigration and DHS operations, as the country seeks to avoid further disruptions to essential services.