House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects to have enough Republican votes to end a partial federal shutdown by Tuesday, though southeastern snowstorm travel disruptions are delaying some members' return to Washington. The shutdown began Saturday after Congress failed to pass a short-term funding deal; the Senate approved a plan that would exclude the Department of Homeland Security so most agencies can be funded. Lawmakers aim to buy time — funding non-DHS agencies now while negotiating tighter immigration-enforcement rules over the next two weeks.
Johnson Says He Has GOP Votes To End Partial Shutdown By Tuesday — Travel Delays Hamper Return
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during the annual "March for Life" in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz
WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believes he has sufficient Republican support to end a partial federal government shutdown by Tuesday, but travel disruptions from a southeastern snowstorm are complicating the logistics of getting members back to Washington.
Johnson told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he was "confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday," while acknowledging the challenge of assembling lawmakers amid lingering transport problems.
"I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town," Johnson said.
The brief shutdown began Saturday after Congress failed to approve a short-term funding agreement. The Senate on Saturday easily passed a spending measure that would keep most agencies running, but the House was out of town when the vote occurred.
What The Senate Plan Does
The Senate's proposal would remove the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the broader short-term spending package. That approach would allow lawmakers to approve funding for most agencies — including the Pentagon and the Department of Labor — while Congress negotiates new restrictions and oversight for immigration enforcement, a debate intensified by recent public outrage over the shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Johnson said the plan is to fund all agencies except DHS by Tuesday, after which lawmakers would have "two weeks of good faith negotiation" to resolve outstanding differences over immigration enforcement and DHS funding.
Context And Stakes
Lawmakers from both parties have worked to prevent an immigration-enforcement dispute from derailing funding for other government operations. That strategy contrasts with last autumn, when a bitter fight over healthcare contributed to a 43-day shutdown that cost the U.S. economy an estimated $11 billion.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Alexander Smith, Sergio Non and Chizu Nomiyama)
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