Mike Johnson says he’s ‘not buying’ polls showing who Americans blame for shutdown, warns there will be ‘a price to pay’

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he does not believe the polls that show Americans are blaming Republicans more than Democrats for the government shutdown. The Louisiana Republican said that people will soon understand that Democrats are the ones causing the problem.

The government shutdown is still going on because lawmakers cannot agree on a temporary funding bill. The big fight is about money for Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. According to The Hill, Democrats say they will not vote for any bill that does not include this funding.

When reporters asked Johnson about the polls that show Republicans getting more blame, he said he’s “not buying” what they say. “It’s very clear where the blame lies,” he told the media. “The Democrats admit themselves that they are the ones shutting the government down, and they’re having a hard time justifying that.”

Johnson thinks Americans will figure out who’s really at fault

Several polls tell a different story from what Johnson is saying. A poll that came out recently showed that 45 percent of adults in the U.S. think the president and Republicans in Congress are responsible for shutting down the government. But Johnson does not agree with these numbers and says voters will soon blame Democrats instead.

“At the end of the day, the American people are wise,” Johnson said. “They understand what’s going on. They’re going to see who’s responsible, and there’ll be a price to pay for that politically.” He also said he thinks people are starting to turn against Democrats because of the shutdown.

Johnson has done something unusual by calling off five weeks of votes that were already planned. He is doing this to force Senate Democrats to pass the Republican bill. Many people have criticized this move, including Democrats in the House and even some Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. She openly disagreed with Johnson during a Republican phone call.

The shutdown is starting to hurt millions of people across the country. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will stop having money this weekend. This program helps about 42 million Americans buy food. Johnson said the situation is getting worse, and if things go past Nov. 1, “it’s a very serious situation for a lot of people.”

Johnson defended what he is doing by saying Congress has a basic job to do. “We are anxious to get the House back to regular legislative session, but we have to get the lights turned back on,” he said. “Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate have got to reopen the government again.”