House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence that Congress will end the federal government shutdown, despite logistical challenges preventing lawmakers from returning to Washington immediately.

Speaker Addresses Shutdown Timeline

Johnson appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss the partial government closure that began after Congress failed to pass spending legislation. The Louisiana Republican cited weather-related travel difficulties as the reason for delaying action until Tuesday rather than Monday. The Senate had already passed a spending bill hours before the deadline that would fund most government agencies through September.

The legislation includes a two-week extension for Department of Homeland Security funding while lawmakers negotiate reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanded by Democrats. Johnson stated his intention to fund all federal agencies except DHS, allowing time for good-faith negotiations on immigration enforcement issues.

Razor-Thin Republican Majority Complicates Vote

The Speaker faces significant challenges with an extremely narrow House majority. Following the swearing-in of Democratic Representative-elect Christian Menefee after his Texas runoff victory, Republicans can only afford to lose one vote if voting follows party lines. Weather-related travel disruptions have created additional scheduling complications, similar to the massive snowstorm that canceled votes leading up to the shutdown deadline.

Immigration Incident Triggers Funding Dispute

The shutdown stems from controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen, by immigration officials in Minneapolis on January 24. The incident angered Democrats and some Republicans, prompting Senate Democrats to demand the removal of DHS funding from the broader spending package. They insisted on renegotiating the measure to include additional oversight of immigration enforcement agencies. This dispute over Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms has created the current impasse, leaving DHS funding as the primary sticking point in budget negotiations.