Partisan tensions erupt as government shutdown becomes longest ever

WASHINGTON (CN) — A month of partisan breakdown in Congress was laid bare Wednesday morning, as Republican leaders and a Democratic lawmaker traded public barbs as the ongoing government shutdown lurched into record territory.

House Republicans, gathered around the Capitol steps on the 36th day of the shutdown — now the longest in history — were interrupted by Pennsylvania Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who in front of scores of media called out her colleagues for refusing to negotiate with Democrats on the monthlong funding lapse.

“I’m asking you a question, if you’re ready to have a conversation with the other side,” Houlahan told an irritated House Speaker Mike Johnson. “You have an obligation to call the leadership of both parties, bring us together and solve this problem together.”

The Pennsylvania Democrat’s confrontation was emblematic of rising tempers in Congress, as both sides have so far refused to budge in their demands to reopen the government. And it comes as Democrats claimed victory in a trio of state-level races that now have President Donald Trump questioning Republicans’ political fortunes during the shutdown.

But, standing across from Houlahan in the crisp November air, Johnson and his GOP colleagues continued to dismiss Democratic complaints.

“You have an obligation!” Michigan Representative Lisa McClain fired back at the lawmaker.

Johnson contended that Republicans had already tried to engage with Democrats, pointing to Trump’s ill-fated September negotiations at the White House with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I’ve been doing that, before the shutdown began,” the House speaker told Houlahan. “You voted to shut down the government.”

Republicans have for more than a month argued that blame for the shutdown falls on the shoulders of Democrats, who refused to back a short-term budget resolution aimed at keeping government programs online through the middle of November. Democrats, though, complained that the proposed spending patch was rammed through the House without any input from the minority.

They’ve now demanded that Republicans hand them concessions in exchange for supporting a funding bill, such as an extension on expiring Affordable Care Act health care subsidies.

The GOP has appeared confident for weeks that the shutdown’s mounting impacts, such as the expiration of federal nutrition benefits over the weekend, would heap pressure on moderate Senate Democrats to fold and support the House-passed budget stopgap. And as of Tuesday, it seemed as though some Democrats were inching closer to such an outcome.

But cracks were showing in Republicans’ resolve Wednesday, after Democrats roundly defeated Republican candidates in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections — and democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City.

During a White House breakfast with Republican lawmakers Wednesday morning, Trump said that he wanted to have a discussion with his colleagues about “what last night represented.”

“I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for Republicans,” the president said. Behind closed doors, Trump reportedly told GOP lawmakers that he thought Republicans were “getting killed” by the shutdown.

Johnson, however, stepped away from the president when asked about his comments.

“I don’t think the loss last night was any reflection about Republicans at all,” he told reporters on the Capitol steps. “I think people are as frustrated and angry as we are. I am, the president is, and we express that in different ways.”

And the House speaker waved away questions about whether Tuesday’s election results were a referendum on Trump’s first year back in office, arguing that neither the president nor his agenda were on the ballot this week — but that they would be in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

“The president needs four years to complete his agenda, not just two,” said Johnson. “He’s fiercely committed to us winning. He is very much engaged, very dialed in and he understands the stakes.”

Meanwhile, a deal in Congress to end the government shutdown remains elusive — despite reports that negotiations among rank-and-file lawmakers are progressing. It’s unclear whether Democrats’ electoral victory this week has galvanized support among moderates. So far, only two Democratic lawmakers and one independent have voted for the Republican spending bill.

And though the GOP has for weeks refused to negotiate with Democrats, Jeffries and Schumer on Wednesday wrote to Trump demanding he convene congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle to discuss a path forward. “Democrats stand ready to meet with you face to face, anytime and anyplace,” they said.

As the shutdown inches towards the holiday season, its impacts are quickly widening. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ran out over the weekend, potentially leaving more than 40 million Americans without food aid. Despite a court order, the Trump administration has so far refused to dip into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s emergency fund to keep the program afloat.

And with air traffic controllers and airport security officers going without pay, concerns are mounting about air travel ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Transportation Department has said it may need to close airspace in some parts of the country starting next week due to staffing shortages.

Follow @BenjaminSWeiss