Speaker Johnson Navigates GOP Rebellion as Partial Shutdown Drags On
WASHINGTON — A partial government shutdown entered its third day Monday as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struggled to unite his slim and rebellious Republican majority behind a plan to restore funding.
Lawmakers returned to the Capitol facing the immediate task of passing a bipartisan spending package already approved by the Senate. Yet Johnson's path forward was immediately complicated by demands from his right flank. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) declared Sunday she would withhold her vote unless the House inserts the "SAVE Act"—a GOP-backed bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote—into the must-pass funding legislation.
"This is a line in the sand," Luna said, threatening to derail the process. Her ultimatum highlights the precarious math confronting the Speaker, who can afford almost no defections given his single-vote majority.
The Senate passed a five-bill appropriations package late Friday, alongside a short-term extension for the Department of Homeland Security, aiming to avert a full shutdown. The move followed intense negotiations in the upper chamber, partly spurred by recent violent incidents involving migrants. However, the bills' final passage hinges on the House, where procedural votes Monday afternoon served as the first test of Johnson's grip on his conference.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a stark warning Monday, calling the SAVE Act a "poison pill" that would doom the entire funding package in the Democratic-controlled Senate. "If House Republicans add this, they are choosing a prolonged shutdown," Schumer stated, framing the demand as a return to the brinkmanship that characterized past budget battles.
Despite the open revolt, Johnson projected confidence in a Sunday interview, predicting he would secure the votes to reopen the government by Tuesday. "We're going to demonstrate that this is the party that takes governing seriously," he told NBC's Meet the Press, while acknowledging his "one-vote margin."
Political analysts note that Johnson's dilemma is twofold: appeasing conservatives without alienating the Democrats whose votes he may ultimately need, all while the clock ticks on shuttered agencies.
Voices from the Public:
"It's political theater at the expense of federal workers and services. Luna and others are holding the government hostage over a voting issue that's already addressed by law. This isn't governing; it's grandstanding."
— Marcus Thorne, 52, small business owner from Ohio
"Finally, someone is standing up! The SAVE Act is common sense. If it takes a shutdown to secure our elections, so be it. We need more representatives with the guts of Rep. Luna."
— Deborah Riggs, 68, retired teacher from Florida
"Johnson is in an impossible position. The Freedom Caucus has him over a barrel. This standoff shows the fundamental challenge of governing with such a tiny majority—every member becomes a veto point."
— Dr. Ben Carter, 41, political science professor at Virginia Tech
"It's deja vu. We've seen this movie before: a shutdown, last-minute deals, and nothing solved. Both parties share the blame for this dysfunctional cycle. The American people are tired of being used as bargaining chips."
— Sofia Martinez, 35, non-profit director from Colorado