House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) did not commit to extending Obamacare tax credits that expire at the end of the year, a sticking point for Democrats as the government enters the first day of its first shutdown in seven years.

Johnson was asked during a press conference with House and Senate GOP leaders whether he would be open to negotiating an extension of the Obamacare subsidies once the government reopens, a position Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated that he would support. 

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But the House speaker dodged the question, instead blaming Democrats for holding up government funding and forcing a shutdown to get Republicans to meet their demands.

“This is an extraneous matter right now,” Johnson said. “What the Democrats are trying to do is trying to grab a red herring.”

Democrats spent the last few weeks digging their heels in the sand, alerting Republicans that they would not support a short-term spending deal unless there were significant healthcare concessions to address what they call a rising “crisis” for the public.

But the GOP has shown little interest in extending the Obamacare credits in general, much less putting them in a continuing resolution. Leadership has insisted that a negotiation over the credits is a policy issue, not a spending issue, and therefore, Congress should move forward on a “clean” CR now and address the expiration at a later date. The credits expire Dec. 31.

Democrats did not accept that path, and at midnight on Wednesday, the government shut down after the GOP’s CR and a Democratic alternative proposal failed again on the Senate floor. Both parties have been quick to blame each other for the shutdown, with House Republican leadership holding its first press conference in a week on the first day of the shutdown.

“If they care so much about healthcare for the American people, they would not shut the government down,” Johnson said.

“It is dangerous, it is destructive, and it’s unconscionable to us that Chuck Schumer would do this for his personal, political reasons,” the speaker added. “How long will the Democrats allow Chuck Schumer to drive them off this cliff?”

Republicans spent much of the press conference accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of being “scared of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” as rumors have circulated that the New York representative may launch a primary bid against him for the Senate in 2028.

“The Democrats have caved in to the radical wing of the Democrat Party, caved in completely, abandoned the American people in the process,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) said. “And why? Well, one of the reasons is Chuck Schumer wants to try to prove to somebody that he’s more liberal than AOC.”

Republicans are homing in on the fact that federal workers, members of the military, and personnel in other agencies will go without pay, and certain services will be on hold. However, some departments have issued guidance that recipients for certain programs will continue to collect payments, subject to funding.

The shutdown is the latest blow to the federal workforce, which has faced mass layoffs and firings since the Trump administration took office and promised to cut out “waste, fraud, and abuse” and shrink the size of the government.

“Now, thankfully, President Trump is trying to mitigate the damage as much as possible,” Johnson said. “His administration is working to limit the harm to the American people, but the longer this goes on, the more pain will be inflicted, because it is inevitable when the government shuts down.”

The Senate is taking up both the Democratic and Republican CRs on Wednesday, as Republicans seek to wear down the Democrats by holding vote after vote to see if more come to the side of the GOP. Three Democrats joined all but one Republican senator to vote for the GOP CR on Tuesday, but it failed to meet the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Johnson committed to bringing the House back next week, as Republicans have been on recess this week. He said his members would be on Capitol Hill, “except that we did our work.”

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENTERS SHUTDOWN AFTER CONGRESS LETS FUNDING EXPIRE

“The simple truth is, Democrats in Congress have dragged our country into another reckless shutdown to satisfy their far-left base,” Johnson said. “That’s the truth. Whether or not the government remains open, or reopens, is entirely up to them.”

“We passed the bill almost two weeks ago, out of the House to the Senate,” Johnson added. “The ball is literally in Chuck Schumer’s court.”