House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday placed direct
responsibility on Democrats for the consequences of the partial federal
government shutdown, which has now lasted nearly a month and continues to
affect millions of workers in the United States.
In an official statement from the Capitol, Johnson argued
that the budget impasse is the result of “the Democratic leadership’s
unwillingness to negotiate a responsible agreement” while President Donald
Trump and his team at the Office of Management and Budget move forward with
reviewing federal programs that could be cut.
“The 27th marks almost a full month since the Democrats
decided to shut down the government,” Johnson said. “The suffering of working
families is very real and worsens with each passing day. Last week, 1.4 million
federal employees did not receive their full pay, many of them furloughed, and
others working without pay as essential personnel.”
The Republican lawmaker emphasized that the effects of the
shutdown are beginning to be felt beyond Washington, affecting contractors,
suppliers, and local economies that depend on government activity. Johnson
accused Democrats of putting political interests before the country's needs by
insisting on a budget package with spending levels that, according to him,
"are unsustainable for the national economy."
Meanwhile, sources close to the White House confirmed that
President Trump's economic team is developing a contingency plan to reduce or
temporarily suspend federal programs considered non-priority, with the goal of
maintaining fiscal stability while the legislative impasse is resolved.
Democrats, for their part, reject the accusations and point
to the shutdown as a result of Republican intransigence, falsely accusing it of
seeking to impose severe cuts in sensitive areas such as healthcare, education,
and food assistance.
The prolonged federal shutdown has raised concerns among
economists, who warn that if an agreement is not reached in the coming weeks,
the impact could extend to sectors such as consumption, transportation, and
utilities, directly affecting economic growth in the final quarter of the year.