Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the nation, offering a direct apology to Americans affected by the government shutdown. He acknowledged the hardships faced by travelers, families, and federal workers.
“I just want to apologize to any Americans who are out there who still have flight cancelations or delays… to the many American families who are made to go hungry… our troops and other federal employees who are wondering where their next paycheck would come from.”
Johnson placed full responsibility on Democrats, stating: “All of that’s on the Democrats. Just never forget, they voted 15 times between the House and the Senate to close your government, and the Republicans tried every single day of the shutdown to open it, and we voted 15 times to do that.”
Looking ahead, Johnson expressed optimism about the vote tally and promised swift legislative action: “We’re very optimistic about the vote tally tonight. We think this is going to happen, and we’re sorry that it took this long. So Republicans are going to deliver for the people.”
He outlined an aggressive legislative calendar for the remainder of the year: “There’ll be some long days and nights here, some long working weeks, but we will get this thing back on track.”
Johnson closed by urging Americans to stay tuned as Congress moves forward.