Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) may have secured the speakership again earlier this year, but according to Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), his grip on the gavel is already slipping — and fast.
“Johnson sent his team home, not necessarily just to put pressure on us, but so he doesn’t get pressure from his own members,” Gallego said Thursday during an appearance on CNN’s The Source. “He’s barely going to win, and he’s probably going to lose the Speakership next year. But he’s putting his members on a plank that’s not reversible.”
Those comments come as the House remains in recess despite the ongoing government shutdown and rising frustration among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Critics say Johnson’s move to adjourn — instead of confronting the crisis head-on — looks more like self-preservation than strategy.
The tension isn’t just within the House. Over in the Senate, Democrats are blocking a stopgap funding bill — not to delay for delay’s sake, but to force Republicans to agree to an extension of the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.
Gallego didn’t mince words when it came to laying blame, pointing fingers not only at Johnson, but also at Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.).
“It is a failure on Thune and Johnson, not necessarily because they’re shutting down, but also they just didn’t even bring it up to their membership. They didn’t bring up, ‘Hey, we need to start negotiating to come up with a path out of this,’” Gallego said.
Thune, for his part, has dismissed the Democrats’ demands, stating that the ACA subsidy extension won’t even be discussed until the shutdown is resolved — a stance that only deepens the deadlock.
A Speaker Without a Strategy
At the heart of the crisis is not just a funding dispute, but a growing vacuum of leadership. Johnson has made no serious move to forge consensus, even within his own caucus. That’s left many wondering if he’s capable — or willing — to do the hard work of governing.
“Any serious Speaker of the House is going to build consensus within his conference behind a plan,” a frustrated Democratic lawmaker said, criticizing how the GOP has kept negotiations behind closed doors. “It’s not something secret that gets worked on in a committee.”
If Gallego’s prediction is right, this might be Johnson’s last term with the gavel — and possibly a cautionary tale, for any Speaker who thinks loyalty to party is a substitute for actual leadership.
