House Speaker Mike Johnson told “CBS Mornings” on Thursday that Republicans and Democrats are not currently engaged in negotiations to end the government shutdown.
“There’s no negotiation right now because the Democrats have dug in,” he told “CBS Mornings.”
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said that his GOP colleagues are urging their Democratic counterparts to approve a clean extension of government spending levels, which would allow negotiators more time to work on appropriations measures.
“All we’re asking is that Senate Democrats do what they have always done in the past, every single time and allow the additional clock,” he said.
Johnson said he was not aware of any details about impending mass layoffs of federal employees, including which agencies would see their workforces shrink and by how much. Russ Vought, the lead of the Office of Management and Budget, told GOP lawmakers Wednesday that reductions in force, or layoffs, could begin in the coming days.
“What was communicated to us is that they’re trying to mitigate the damage,” he said. “The president and Republicans in Congress do not want a government shutdown. We are bending over backward to prevent it because real people get hurt.”
Johnson criticized Democrats for focusing on extending enhanced premium tax credits for Americans enrolled in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act since they don’t expire until the end of December.
“This is an absolute 100% red herring,” he said, adding that there are still three months left for Congress to reach a solution to address the expiring enhanced subsidies.