For more than a month, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has been trying to spin an alternate reality of the government shutdown.
On Sunday morning, Johnson falsely claimed on multiple occasions that Democrats want to give health care to people who are in the country illegally. Speaker Johnson knows that it is illegal for non-citizens to receive health care benefits.
PoliticusUSA’s news and opinion are 100% independent. Please support our work by becoming a subscriber.
Speaker Johnson has long run out of excuses, but the new wrinkle in the government shutdown dynamics is that he is now running cover for President Donald Trump.
This development is significant because it reveals that the damage being caused by the shutdown, which has been largely ignored by Johnson for more than a month, is starting to blow back on the leadership of the Republican Party.
The Republican brand is Donald Trump. There are a few Republicans still in office who run independently of Trump. They are all linked to Trump, and their fates and job security depend on Trump staying strong with Republican and Republican leaning voters, which is why Johnson’s answer to one question was so revealing.
Johnson was asked on Fox News Sunday, “ There are some GOP senators indicating at least the tiniest open door to possibly making changes. What’s your advice to the other side of the Hill?”
Read Johnson’s response and watch the video below.


























