House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called on Democrats to “bring it” as he continues to intensify his tone during the government shutdown that is rumbling forward with no end in sight.
President Donald Trump decided last weekend to divert money to pay the 1.3 million active-duty service members who were at risk of missing a paycheck Wednesday as the government shutdown enters its second week. This move has been backed by congressional Republicans after many began to get uncomfortable with the looming halt in pay for the military.
“My understanding of this is they have every right to move the funds around, dually appropriated dollars from Congress to the Department of Defense,” Johnson said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“There was some R&D accounts that had not been spent, and that is my understanding, that the money being used to pay the troops right now,” he continued. “If the Democrats want to go to court and challenge troops being paid, bring it.”
The Trump administration is tapping into unused funds for research and development from the Department of War in a push to alleviate some of the pain of the government shutdown.
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“I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Johnson has blasted Democrats for over two weeks, blaming the government shutdown on his colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The speaker has kept the House out of session in an effort to put pressure on the Senate to pass the House GOP’s short-term funding bill to reopen the government.
“We’re frustrated because the American people are frustrated,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) told the Washington Examiner.
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While Johnson has leaned into the notion that the “House did its job,” he has held many fiery press conferences with the rest of his GOP leadership team and has embarked on a media blitz, doing dozens of TV and radio hits. Both parties continue their efforts to cast blame on the other side.
The GOP seven-week funding bill passed the House last month but has been held up in the Senate due to the 60-vote threshold. As the House puts pressure on the upper chamber, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has aimed to keep enough of his caucus in line to force Republicans to strike a deal that meets Democratic demands on healthcare. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and two Democrats have backed the GOP plan.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this article.
