WATCH LIVE: Senate gavel as Johnson warns this lockdown could be the longest in US history

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday predicted the federal government shutdown would become the longest in history, saying he “will not negotiate” with Democrats until they stop their health care demands and reopen.

The Senate is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET. Watch in the player above.

Standing alone in the Capitol building on the 13th day of the shutdown, the spokesman said he was not aware of the details of the thousands of federal employees fired by the Trump administration. It is an unusual mass layoff that is widely seen as a way to take advantage of the shutdown to reduce the scope of government. Vice President J.D. Vance warned of “painful” cuts ahead, even as employee unions sued.

“We are headed toward one of the longest lockdowns in American history,” Louisiana’s Johnson said.
With no end in sight, the lockdown is expected to continue into the unforeseen future. The shutdown has halted routine government operations, closed Smithsonian museums and other prominent cultural institutions, and left airports struggling with flight disruptions, all of which is injecting more uncertainty into an already unstable economy.

The House of Representatives is out of legislative session, as Johnson refuses to summon lawmakers to Washington, while the Senate, which was closed on Monday for the federal holiday, will return to work on Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a deadlock of failed votes as Democrats refuse to back down on their health care demands.

Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for ensuring military salaries were paid this week, removing a key pressure point that may have brought both sides to the negotiating table. A senior administration official confirmed Monday that the Coast Guard is also receiving their salaries. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the plans, which have not yet been officially published.

At its core, the shutdown is a debate over health care policy — particularly the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies for millions of Americans who rely on government aid to buy their health insurance policies on the Obamacare exchanges. Democrats are calling for the support to be extended, but Republicans say this issue can be dealt with at a later time.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that with Republicans now closing the chamber for a fourth week, there are no real negotiations underway. “They were nowhere to be found,” he told MSNBC.

With Congress and the White House at a standstill, some are looking to the end of the month as the next possible deadline for reopening the government.

Open enrollment begins November 1 for the health program in question, and Americans will face the prospect of sky-high insurance premiums. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that monthly costs would double if Congress fails to renew the support payments that expire on December 31.

At the end of October, monthly paid government employees, including thousands of House aides, will remain without salaries.

Ongoing issue

The health care debate has haunted Congress since the Affordable Care Act became law under President Barack Obama in 2010.

The country went through a 16-day government shutdown during the Obama presidency when Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2013.

Trump tried to “repeal and replace” the law, known as Obamacare, during his first term in 2017, with Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. That effort failed when then-Sen. John McCain memorably voted against the plan.

With 24 million people now enrolled in Obamacare, a record high, Johnson said Monday that Republicans were unlikely to go that route again, noting that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from that failed moment.

“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are questioning that now because the roots are so deep,” Johnson said.

The Republican spokesman insists his party was willing to discuss the health care issue with Democrats this fall, before benefits expire at the end of the year. But he said Democrats must first agree to reopen the government.

The longest shutdown, during Trump’s first term over his demand for funding to build the US-Mexico border wall, ended in 2019 after 35 days.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is exercising broad latitude in firing workers — sparking complaints from fellow Republicans and lawsuits from employee unions — and deciding who gets paid.

This means that not only the military but other Trump administration priorities don’t necessarily have to go unpaid, thanks to various other funding sources in addition to the billions available in Trump’s big, beautiful law, which is now law.

The Pentagon said over the weekend that it was able to tap $8 billion in unused research and development funds to pay military salaries. They risked losing their paychecks on Wednesday. But the Department of Education is among those hit hard, disrupting special education, after-school programs and more.

“The administration could also decide to use mandatory funding provided in the Reconciliation Act of 2025 or other mandatory funding sources to continue activities funded by those direct appropriations at various agencies,” according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The Departments of Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget are among those that received specific funds under the law, the Congressional Budget Office said.

“Some of the funds allocated to the Department of Defense directly under the Reconciliation Act of 2025 could be used to pay active duty workers during the shutdown, thereby reducing the number of exempt workers who would receive back compensation,” the Congressional Budget Office wrote in a letter in response to questions raised by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Associated Press writer Josh Bock contributed to this report.