Throughout the shutdown, a key piece of Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy has been to keep the House out of session, hoping that his chamber’s absence will force Senate Democrats to accept the GOP’s funding bill. But as the standoff stretches into its second week, some House Republicans are questioning the wisdom of keeping lawmakers out of Washington.
During a private conference call with House Republicans on Thursday, at least three GOP lawmakers — Reps. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Jay Obernolte of California and Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota — raised concerns about the House remaining out of session next week, according to a source on the call.
“I think we’re gonna get to a point where it’s damaging to continue to keep the House out of session,” Obernolte told his fellow Republicans. “I think we’ve gotten to that point.”
The California Republican said keeping lawmakers home would make it look like House Republicans are “prioritizing politics over government,” according to the source.
Bice said she has “concerns” about the House lawmakers staying in their districts, adding that she thinks constituents “wonder why we’re not there,” according to the source on the call. She encouraged leadership to consider the optics for next week, noting that members could just as easily message about the shutdown from Washington.
Fedorchak echoed that sentiment, arguing that the GOP’s messaging would be stronger and more consistent from the Capitol.
The trio is not alone. In an interview with CNN this week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Johnson should bring the House back into session. And Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., said in a statement to MSNBC earlier this week that he was “calling on the speaker to bring the House back in session.”
Johnson, for his part, has not shown any interest in modifying his strategy.
For days, the speaker has defended his decision to keep members out of Washington, arguing that the House has done its job by sending a short-term spending bill to the Senate for consideration — a measure that most Democrats have deemed a nonstarter. Johnson continues to say the only path forward is the House-passed bill, trying to place the onus of the shutdown on Senate Democrats.
“The House did its job,” Johnson said Thursday.
Meanwhile, the House has not voted since Sept. 19.
The private call on Thursday featured some spirited discussion about varying Republican reactions to the shutdown. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., appeared to call out Greene for her recent comments about the shutdown — where Greene noted that Republicans control the House, Senate and White House, and called on Republicans to address the expiring Obamacare subsidies.
Malliotakis said the holdup is “obvious”: seven Democrats won’t support the GOP continuing resolution.
At another point, Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., told a story about being at a gas station and someone saying to her “tell Marge stop supporting Chuck Schumer,” according to the source.
If we acquiesce to the Democratic extortion right now, it is only going to be worse next time.”
Speaker Mike Johnson
After a dramatic Wednesday on Capitol Hill — which featured two explosive confrontations between Democrats and Republicans in the hallways — Johnson said Congress is “probably” better served with his members at home.









