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Speaker Johnson Assures Senate Democrats on Budget Talks/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ House Speaker Mike Johnson has assured Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray that he’ll advance bipartisan funding bills once the government shutdown ends. But Johnson insists Democrats must first vote to reopen the government. The Louisiana Republican is seeking to pressure Senate Democrats amid a standoff over spending and health care policy.

Government Funding Talks Quick Looks

• Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) about restarting funding negotiations.
• Johnson pledged to put bipartisan spending bills up for a vote once the shutdown ends.
• The government has been shut down for six dayshalting legislative talks.
• The House has already passed a seven-week temporary funding billbut Senate Democrats have blocked it.
• Democrats are demanding assurances and guardrails to protect Congress’ power of the purse.
• They also seek an extension of Affordable Care Act tax creditsset to expire this year.
• Murray says the “only path forward” is bipartisan talks involving Schumer and Jeffries.
• Johnson canceled House votes to pressure Senate Democrats into ending the standoff.
• Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries challenged Johnson to a floor debate on the shutdown — an offer Johnson rejected.
• Senate Republicans plan another vote Monday evening on the House-passed funding patch.

Deep Look

Speaker Mike Johnson Offers Senate Democrats “Assurance” on Budget Talks, but Demands End to Shutdown First

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson has privately assured Sen. Patty Murraythe Senate’s top Democratic appropriator, that he will bring bipartisan government funding bills to the House floor once the federal government shutdown is over.

However, Johnson made clear during a Monday morning press conference that Democrats must first vote to reopen the government before any new spending measures can advance.

The Louisiana Republican said he had a “fruitful discussion” with Murray “a day or two ago” about how to proceed with fiscal 2026 appropriations once the current shutdown ends. Murray chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has been a key player in bicameral funding talks.

Shutdown Halts Negotiations

Negotiations over a Senate-passed three-bill appropriations package — covering the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs as well as congressional operations — have largely stalled since the government shut down six days ago.

According to Johnson, Murray “wanted assurance” that he would allow a floor vote on whatever compromise appropriators reached. Johnson said he made that promise, telling her that he speaks “the same way privately as I do publicly.”

The House has already passed a “clean,” seven-week continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through November 21but Senate Democrats have so far blocked the measurerefusing to provide the votes needed to advance it procedurally.

Democrats Seek Policy Commitments

Democrats argue that Johnson’s assurances are insufficient without policy protections to prevent what they describe as overreach by President Donald Trump’s administration in federal spending decisions.

They also want the temporary spending bill to include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax creditswhich are set to expire at year’s end. Without congressional action, millions of Americans could see sharp premium increases or lose coverage altogether.

Murray reiterated her stance in a post on X (formerly Twitter):

Political Standoff Intensifies

Asked whether he was lobbying Senate Democrats directly, Johnson said, “No, they haven’t exactly been ringing my phone.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans plan to force a fifth vote Monday evening on the House-passed seven-week CR.

In a tactical move, Johnson has canceled House votes this week, effectively keeping lawmakers in recess to increase pressure on Senate Democrats to act first.

Jeffries Challenges Johnson to Debate

The budget impasse also deepened Monday when House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) challenged Johnson to a floor debate on the shutdown, calling it an opportunity to bring “transparency” to the American people.

Jeffries wrote that Johnson’s “my way or the highway” approach was prolonging the crisis and preventing a bipartisan deal.

Johnson quickly rejected the invitationdismissing it as political theater.

This is not the first time Jeffries has proposed a public debate with Johnson — he made a similar offer in April during GOP efforts to pass a party-line domestic policy package.

A Stalemate With No Clear End

With the shutdown entering its second workweek, Johnson has left the House on standby, telling Republican members they would receive 48 hours’ notice if summoned back to Washington.

Jeffries, meanwhile, plans to hold a virtual meeting with House Democrats Monday evening to coordinate messaging and discuss next steps.

For now, both chambers appear locked in a high-stakes standoff — with the fate of government funding, health care subsidies, and key federal operations hanging in the balance.

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