WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledged Wednesday that Americans are suffering as the government shutdown slogged into its 22nd day, but neither side showed signs of acquiescing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., reiterated his stance that Democrats are responsible for the shutdown that has furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers and temporarily shuttered federal services while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., blamed Republicans for inciting “chaos, cruelty and confusion.”
“They shut the government down, ran out of town and now are nowhere to be found,” Jeffries said of House Republicans. The House has been in recess since Sept. 19 after passing a stopgap funding bill.
The Senate has repeatedly failed to pass the House bill, which