House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) triggered a damaging government shutdown for Americans — but in doing so may have handed President Donald Trump the “keys to the kingdom.”
“While a shutdown is very damaging for real American people who depend upon government services, it can provide an opportunity to downsize the scope and the scale of government, which is something that we’ve all always wanted to do,” Johnson said on Mornings with Maria.
“So, in a way, Chuck Schumer has now handed the keys to the kingdom to the executive branch under President Trump to do some things that we would not otherwise be able to do because we would never get Democrat votes for them.”
The House speaker accused Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) of taking “a partisan political stand for their own purposes” after what he called a failed, unserious meeting with Trump.
Johnson said that with no deal in place, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought will now have broad discretion to decide which federal services are prioritized or suspended.
“And Chuck Schumer has allowed that,” Johnson added. “So from his political perspective, it’s a pretty massive backfire, and there’s a real opportunity for government to work more efficiently and effectively for the people [once] those decisions are made.”
Democrats decided it was more important to give healthcare to illegal aliens: Speaker Johnson pic.twitter.com/eI5fbJnPWY
— Mornings with Maria (@MorningsMaria) October 1, 2025
More over at Fox Business:
Johnson says Schumer handed Trump 'keys to the kingdom' with government shutdown decision https://t.co/oaQFL4b8cp
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 1, 2025
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