House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said he believes he has the votes to end the partial government shutdown by Tuesday, with the House set to take up a Senate-approved spending package this week.
“Let’s say I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” the Louisiana Republican said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The U.S. government partially shut down on Saturday morning after Congress failed to approve a spending package and send it to President Donald Trump by the Jan. 30 deadline.
Senate Democrats demanded changes to the package that the House originally passed after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minnesota. Democrats ultimately had the Department of Homeland Security funding stripped from the package and replaced with two-week stopgap funding for the agency. Now, the amended package has to be reapproved by the House.
The House is set to begin taking up the bill on Monday. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, the first step in that process.
Johnson said he’s not counting on Democratic support to help fast-track the measure under a “suspension of the rules,” which would require a 2/3 majority in the House.
“We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town, and because of the conversation I had with [Democratic Leader] Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we’ve got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own,” Johnson said.
House Democrats are demanding assurances that changes to DHS’s immigration operations will be finalized before voting on the spending package.
“Well, we’re going to have that conversation later on today and as we return to Washington. But the one thing that we’ve said publicly is that we need a robust path toward dramatic reform,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked how he and Democrats will vote.
“The administration can’t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk. That should begin today. Not in two weeks, today,” he said.
Sources familiar with the matter told MS NOW over the weekend that Jeffries spoke with Johnson and said Democrats will not provide the votes to fast-track the spending package, potentially jeopardizing the end of the shutdown this week.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on “Meet the Press” Sunday that he will vote against the package when it comes to the floor.
“I’m not just a no, I’m a firm no, and I’m going to advocate with colleagues that they vote no,” Khanna said. “I just in good conscience cannot vote to give more money to ICE agents as they’re violating our constitutional rights.”
Democratic resistance to the package makes Johnson’s job of pushing the package through significantly harder. He has a razor-thin 218-213 majority in the House, set to dwindle further after Democrat Christian Menefee won a special election in Texas.
“I have a one-vote margin, yes, for the rest of 2026,” Johnson said. “But we’re going to demonstrate once again that this is the party that takes…
Read More: Johnson ‘confident’ government shutdown will end by Tuesday
