Shutdown Blame Game Intensifies as Johnson and Schumer Trade Barbs Over Health Care and Funding Stalemate

Key Facts

Published: October 6, 2025 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Washington Times, The Epoch Times, CBS News

• Speaker Mike Johnson blames Senate Leader Chuck Schumer for prolonging the shutdown for political cover.
• Democrats demand ACA subsidy extensions and Medicaid funding restoration as part of any deal.
• Senate fails to pass either party’s funding bill as shutdown nears one week.
• White House warns layoffs of federal employees could begin soon if no resolution is reached.

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – On the sixth day of the government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) accused Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) of prolonging the funding impasse to appease his party’s far-left base, as both chambers failed again Monday to pass competing bills to reopen the government.

Johnson Blames Schumer’s “Political Calculations”

Speaking to reporters, Johnson accused Schumer of refusing to move on a “clean” stopgap funding bill due to political anxiety ahead of his 2028 reelection campaign. “He’s trying to find political cover, and in doing that, he’s hurting real American people,” Johnson said.

The Speaker suggested Schumer’s move reflects fear of his party’s growing socialist wing, referencing New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who won the June primary. “They’re about to elect an actual Marxist as the mayor of New York City–the cradle of capitalism,” Johnson said.

The House-passed continuing resolution, extending government funding at prior-year levels through November 21, has stalled in the Senate, where Schumer continues to filibuster despite three Democratic senators–Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.), and Angus King (Maine)–backing the GOP plan. Johnson insisted, “There’s nothing that Leader Thune and I can offer him. This bill has no gimmicks, no tricks.”

Democrats Demand Health Care Provisions

Schumer has countered by blaming the shutdown on Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who backs the GOP funding measure. Democrats insist that any deal must include an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) pandemic-era premium subsidies and a rollback of up to $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts enacted under Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” reform package.

“Everyone is about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays, and deductibles because of the Republican health care crisis,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Schumer dismissed Johnson’s claims that Democrats want health benefits for illegal immigrants as “fake lies,” noting that “zero federal dollars can go to undocumented immigrants through Medicare, Medicaid, or the ACA.”

Stalemate Deepens as White House Warns of Layoffs

The Senate voted down both parties’ funding measures on October 6 — the Democrats’ health-care-linked plan failed 45-50, while the GOP’s clean bill fell short 52-42 — leaving the government shuttered since midnight October 1.

As the shutdown nears its first full week, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned that layoffs of federal employees could begin “very soon” if no progress is made. “If the president decides negotiations are going nowhere, there will start to be layoffs,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, told reporters he was open to “some very good things” happening in future discussions on ACA subsidies but placed responsibility squarely on Democrats: “Anybody laid off–that’s because of the Democrats.”

The stalemate underscores a broader political confrontation between the GOP’s call for fiscal restraint and Democrats’ push to preserve pandemic-era spending. For now, neither side shows signs of backing down, raising fears that the shutdown could drag on well into the fall.

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