House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House GOP leaders urged their fellow Republicans to stay united ahead of a likely government shutdown during a lawmaker-only phone call on Monday, Fox News Digital has learned.
‘Realistically, the way [Democrats have] painted themselves into a corner, I don’t think they’ll be willing to yield. There’s going to be some shutdown at least on October 1st, for a few days at least,’ Johnson said on the call, Fox News Digital was told. ‘I think that’s probably a good bet.’
House GOP leaders spent roughly an hour rallying their conference to stay on-message ahead of a possible government shutdown, which will occur if the Senate does not pass a short-term federal funding bill before midnight Wednesday.
Johnson urged Republicans to ‘stay completely united,’ Fox News Digital was told, while arguing that Democrats have ‘no credible argument’ against rejecting the GOP spending bill.
He asked House Republicans to keep a low profile before they are due to return to Capitol Hill next week, including forgoing any House floor speeches and political events, Fox News Digital was told.
His comments on a shutdown being likely were in response to one House GOP lawmaker asking whether to pull out of a planned event this week.
Democrats and Republicans are at odds over how to avert a potential shutdown, with the former warning they will not vote for the latter’s bill without significant concessions on healthcare reform.
Republicans, in turn, have pointed out that the funding levels are roughly the same as those Democrats supported under former President Joe Biden at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2024, and have accused Democrats of making unreasonable or partisan demands for a seven-week funding bill.
The measure, a stopgap bill keeping government spending levels mostly flat until Nov. 21, is aimed at giving the House and Senate more time to set funding priorities for FY 2026, which begins on Oct. 1.
It passed the House largely along party lines earlier this month. But in the Senate, where at least several Democrats are needed to meet a 60-vote threshold to advance the bill, its fate is more uncertain.
‘If you want to win the shutdown, we have to stay on offense,’ House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said on the call.
He emphasized that Republicans ‘did our job’ in passing the funding bill.
‘We need to keep emphasizing that. And if we do, we’re going to win this battle,’ Emmer said, Fox News Digital was told.
House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., urged Republicans to keep the messaging focus on federal funding, rather than entering into a debate on healthcare, Fox News Digital was told.
Democrats are demanding legislation that reverses some of the Republicans’ Medicaid cuts in their ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ and an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies.
Republicans, who have accused Democrats of trying to restore barriers on illegal immigrants getting Medicaid, have said the left’s demands would add about $1.5 trillion in spending.
It comes as the top four leaders in the House and Senate are expected to meet with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon to discuss government funding in a last-ditch effort to avert a shutdown.