OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:03 PM – Monday, September 29, 2025
House Republican leaders urged their members to stay united ahead of a looming government shutdown, telling colleagues on a Monday conference call that their strategy is to push Senate Democrats into accepting a clean short-term continuing resolution to keep federal agencies funded.
The conversation took place with GOP members scattered across the country after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) canceled previously scheduled voting days on Monday and Tuesday. The House is not set to reconvene until next week.
Republicans are betting that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will ultimately accept a short-term funding measure — despite Democrat insistence on addressing priorities such as Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
Conservatives argue that the ACA increases federal spending and drives up the national debt, particularly through Medicaid expansion and premium subsidies. Other critics also maintain that premiums and deductibles have risen in some markets since insurers face new regulations and coverage requirements.
“He’s screwed either way,” one Republican on the call said of Schumer. “He has no good choices because he’s put himself on this path, and he didn’t come up with solutions prior to getting to the cliff. Now he’s at the cliff, and he’s either going to jump with a half-full parachute or he’s going to jump with no parachute.”
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Earlier this month, the House passed a GOP-crafted stopgap bill to fund the government through November 21st, but the Senate swiftly rejected it.
If a shutdown does occur, House and Senate Republican leaders are expected to hold a joint press conference on Wednesday, according to NewsNation.
Sources familiar with the call said there are no plans to bring House members back to Washington this week, even if the government closes, with Republicans highlighting that the chamber already did its part by passing its stopgap bill. While there was some disagreement over that approach, members described the conference as largely united.
Democrats, meanwhile, blasted Republicans for canceling votes on the eve of a shutdown, insisting lawmakers should be in Washington to negotiate. House Democrats scheduled a Monday evening meeting in the Capitol despite the cancellations.
Additionally, President Donald Trump will be meeting with the four top congressional leaders on Monday afternoon at the White House.
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