Mike Johnson's plan to keep the House closed is backfiring

House Republicans' decision to boycott the legislative process under Speaker Mike Johnson is proving to be a recipe for disaster. In a bizarre move, Johnson has convinced his GOP colleagues that since they passed a short-term funding bill in September, it's now up to Senate Democrats to reopen the government. But this convenient excuse only serves to further embarrass the Republican leadership.

By keeping the House out of session, Johnson and his team are preventing Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva from being sworn in, effectively blocking her participation in the legislative process. This move is particularly egregious, given that Grijalva was chosen by Democrats as their 218th target on a discharge petition aimed at releasing government files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The House has only been in session for 20 days out of over 100 calendar days since July 3, making it the smallest number of legislative sessions since World War II. This staggering lack of productivity raises questions about whether Congress is simply trying to avoid hard decisions rather than tackle pressing issues.

Johnson's strategy is not fooling anyone. By keeping his caucus scattered across the country, it's difficult for him to argue that he's serious about reopening the government quickly. In fact, Democrats are now using Johnson's "stay home" approach against him, arguing that the Republican leadership is more interested in avoiding uncomfortable truths than finding solutions.

The situation is further complicated by expiring subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, which are set to expire at the end of 2025 but have already begun to impact consumers. Without a fix before the end of the year, millions of people will be facing significant premium increases or forced to choose between coverage and financial ruin.

In short, Johnson's decision to boycott the legislative process is backfiring in spectacular fashion. By ducking and running rather than confronting difficult issues, he's not only losing the messaging war but also undermining his own credibility. As President Harry Truman famously said of the "Do Nothing" Congress, which preceded this current session, "there are a lot of things I'd like to say about that Congress."

the gatekeeper I gotta say, this whole thing with Mike Johnson and the House Republicans is just wild . I mean, who tries to pawn off responsibility on Senate Democrats after their own party passes a short-term funding bill? it's like they think everyone else is too stupid to figure out what's going on . And meanwhile, Grijalva gets blocked from being sworn in, which is just ridiculous . I'm not buying the whole "avoiding hard decisions" excuse . They need to get their act together and start tackling some of these pressing issues already . This whole boycott thing is just going to end up hurting them in the long run .

I just can't believe what's going on in Washington right now . It seems like they're more interested in playing politics than actually getting stuff done . Keeping the House out of session is just plain silly and it's not fooling anyone that this is all some kind of clever ploy to avoid doing their jobs . Newsflash: it's not working ! The real winners here are the politicians who get to stay out of office while the rest of us deal with the consequences . I mean, come on guys, can't we just have a productive conversation without all the drama and posturing? It's like they're too scared to face the hard decisions head-on . The fact that millions of people are going to be affected by expiring subsidies is just devastating . When will they learn that playing politics shouldn't come at the expense of real people's lives?

omg can you believe what's going on with those House Republicans ? they're literally doing everything in their power to block Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva from even getting sworn in . and it's all because they passed a short-term funding bill in September, so now they're saying the Senate Democrats are responsible for reopening the government . like, what even is that logic?

and let's not forget about those expiring subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans . millions of people are gonna be facing huge premium increases or having to choose between coverage and financial ruin . it's a total disaster waiting to happen .

I mean, I get it, they're trying to make a point and all that . but come on, being "difficult" just isn't gonna cut it . the American people need real leadership, not some fancy PR stunt . can we please just have Congress work together already?

ummm I don't get why Mike Johnson is being so stubborn about it... he's literally preventing Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva from even getting sworn in! and now the whole government thing is just getting all messed up with expiring subsidies for ACA marketplace plans... it's like they're more worried about looking good than actually doing something i mean, can't they just compromise or something? I remember when President Truman said those 'Do Nothing' Congress words... sounds kinda fitting for this current session tho

This whole thing with House Republicans is just a big mess . They're making a huge mistake by not having any legislative sessions and it's causing so much drama . It's like they think the Senate Democrats are going to magically reopen the government on their own . And what about all the people who are losing health insurance because of expiring subsidies? It's just a recipe for disaster . I don't get why Mike Johnson can't just work with the Democrats to find solutions instead of trying to avoid hard decisions . This is just going to make him look bad in the end .

omg can you believe this?! so basically the Republicans are trying to avoid doing their job but it's not working they're making the whole situation worse and now millions of people who rely on affordable healthcare are going to face big problems because of expiring subsidies...it's just crazy that they're more worried about looking good than actually solving real issues