House Republicans will continue to stay away from Washington as Speaker Mike Johnson keeps his conference's spending bill on hold until Senate Democrats accept it. The move seems to be more a matter of public relations than legislative strategy, with some lawmakers worrying that too much access to the press corps could exacerbate tensions.
The situation is particularly complicated when House members start engaging with their counterparts across the aisle, potentially giving ammunition to those who criticize the Democratic leadership for being confrontational or anti-law enforcement. Last week, a dozen members of the Democratic Women's Caucus marched on Johnson's office in an attempt to pressure him into swearing in newly elected Representative Adelita Grijalva.
While some Senate Republicans welcome this development, others see it as a way to avoid potential conflicts with "squishier" lawmakers who may not be committed to the party line. The Senate is currently working on finding common ground over funding for various government agencies and programs during the ongoing shutdown.
The pressure to bring the House back into session continues to build, with some Republicans criticizing Johnson's decision to keep lawmakers out of town. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has called it "a disaster" and urged her colleagues to work on passing a spending bill as soon as possible.
It is unclear when or if Johnson will reconsider his stance on bringing the House back into session, but the House has yet to set a specific date for its return.
The situation is particularly complicated when House members start engaging with their counterparts across the aisle, potentially giving ammunition to those who criticize the Democratic leadership for being confrontational or anti-law enforcement. Last week, a dozen members of the Democratic Women's Caucus marched on Johnson's office in an attempt to pressure him into swearing in newly elected Representative Adelita Grijalva.
While some Senate Republicans welcome this development, others see it as a way to avoid potential conflicts with "squishier" lawmakers who may not be committed to the party line. The Senate is currently working on finding common ground over funding for various government agencies and programs during the ongoing shutdown.
The pressure to bring the House back into session continues to build, with some Republicans criticizing Johnson's decision to keep lawmakers out of town. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has called it "a disaster" and urged her colleagues to work on passing a spending bill as soon as possible.
It is unclear when or if Johnson will reconsider his stance on bringing the House back into session, but the House has yet to set a specific date for its return.
Like, they're not exactly getting anywhere by keeping everyone out of town, right? It's just gonna keep the public all confused about what's going on. And now Marjorie Taylor Greene is all like "we need to pass a spending bill ASAP" but if they're not even in Washington, how are they gonna make it happen? 
I guess it's all about playing the politics game and trying to look good to their constituents. But honestly, can't they just sorta... compromise or something? 
. And honestly, it's making life pretty tough for the Senate, who are trying to find common ground over funding issues while the House is MIA. I mean, how can they expect progress when their own side is playing politics with public perception? It's just a bunch of posturing and PR stunts at this point 
. And can we please get back on track already? The country isn't going to fix itself while politicians are too busy trying to one-up each other 
.
and honestly i get why some senators want them to come back into session because at this point we have no idea what's gonna happen with the gov't shutdown 
anyway rep greene is straight up savage calling mike johnson's move a disaster 
i mean, those Dem women in the caucus marchin on his office? girl, bye 
Rep Greene's all like "what a disaster" 
can't wait to see how this all plays out 
The drama in Washington is getting old! 
instead of working together 
to get things done 
. I mean, come on, a dozen women marching on Mike Johnson's office? 
That's just unnecessary stress 
And what's with the spending bill? It's not rocket science 
... is it? 
. And let's not forget about Marjorie Taylor Greene, always speaking her mind... but is it for real or just a carefully crafted PR stunt? 
. And can we talk about how ridiculous it was when those Dem Women marched on Mike Johnson's office? 
That just gives ammo to everyone who says the Dems are being confrontational. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are trying to find common ground on funding, and it feels like the House is just sitting pretty 
. Marjorie Taylor Greene is NOT helping with her "disaster" comment 
. It's not like they're making any real progress on passing that spending bill. I mean, what's the point of even having a conference if you're just going to keep everyone out of town? And those Dem Women marching on Mike Johnson's office was pretty intense 
. I get that they wanted him to swear in Adelita Grijalva, but it felt like a bit of an overreaction. Meanwhile, the Senate is still trying to find common ground, which is more than we can say for the House 
.
. And what's up with all these lawmakers marching on each other's offices? It's just creating more tension and drama 
. Can't we all just get along? 
.
.
. Need some bipartisan vibes over here 
... can't we all just get along? 
. Adelita Grijalva marched on Mike Johnson's office? 
that's a big move 
. Some Sen Reps like it, others are playing it safe 
. Marjorie Taylor Greene says it's "a disaster" 
... but who knows what they really want? 
I feel like they're playing with fire here. The tension between parties is already super high and now they're gonna let it escalate even more by not meeting in person? 
... I mean, can't they all just talk it out? It's not like there's no common ground to be found on spending bills... I'm kinda worried that the longer they keep the House out of session, the more people are gonna start getting fed up with the whole thing 
I mean, people are actually struggling because of this shutdown, and it's getting old 
and don't get me wrong, I get that public relations is important, but can't they just talk to each other like, you know, adults? 
- it's gonna get messy! I mean, come on Mike Johnson, you're basically saying "no deal" and holding out until the Senate says yes 
! I guess that's not exactly how it works in real life tho 
.