Speaker Johnson: ‘Very optimistic’ Congress will avert shutdown

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday said he is “very optimistic” Congress will avert a shutdown by Friday’s deadline after meeting with President Biden and top congressional leaders at the White House.

“We have been working in good faith around the clock every single day for months and weeks, and over the last several days, quite literally around the clock to get that job done. We’re very optimistic,” Johnson told reporters on the White House lawn.

“We believe that we can get to agreement on these issues and prevent a government shutdown, and that’s our first responsibility,” he added.

The positive outlook comes three days ahead of Friday’s partial government funding deadline, when four of the 12 annual spending bills are due. Without congressional action, a slew of programs and agencies will shut down. The remaining eight bills will lapse March 8.

Congressional leaders had hoped to unveil the compromise spending measures over the weekend, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) informed members in a Sunday letter that negotiators had not yet reached an agreement on the legislation.

Schumer blamed House Republicans for the holdup — ”it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out” — while Johnson said the delay was because of “new Democrat demands.”

The lack of substantial progress days before the deadline is fueling chatter that another short-term stopgap bill will be needed to keep the lights on and give negotiators more time to hash out their differences.