On this week’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said President Donald Trump was “eager” and “determined” to reopen the federal government as quickly as possible.
Anchor Shannon Bream began: “So the president says it’s about getting rid of the filibuster, not something you have to deal with on the House side. But he’s putting pressure on your Senate colleagues, saying, get rid of the 60 vote threshold. You can move most things by a majority vote in the House. Here’s part of one of his recent posts. He says, ‘Remember Republicans, regardless of the Schumer shutdown, the Democrats will terminate the filibuster the first chance they get. They’ll pack the Supreme Court, pick up two states, and add at least eight electoral votes. Don’t be weak and stupid, Republicans you will rule rue the day that you didn’t terminate the filibuster. Be tough, be smart and win.’”
She then asked Johnson: “There are some GOP senators indicating at least the tiniest open door to possibly making changes. What’s your advice to the other side of the Hill?”
“Well, I think there’s a lot of Democrats. I mean, a lot of senators, Republican and Democrat, who have resisted it in the past. We, on our side traditionally have resisted that because the worst impulses of the far left Democrat Party, they would pack the court,” Johnson began.
“They would do all the things the president. Let’s discuss there. I think what you’re seeing there is a reflection of his anger, his real frustration that the government is closed. He he is a big-hearted president,” the Speaker and Louisiana Republican continued.
“He wants everybody to get their services, and the health services for veterans and SNAP benefits and all the rest. And he’s tried everything he can, and he is now exhausting his ability. The courts are now saying you can’t go any further. So he’s just desperate for the government to open. He’s tried everything,” Johnson said.
“He’s tried to negotiate with them. He’s he’s pleaded with them and they’re still dug their heels in. So this is a reflection of all of our desperation. We’re angry about it. I think we should be.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said Sunday that he’s hopeful the government shutdown could end this week now that President Trump has returned from his trip to Asia.
In an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Warner avoided specifying where Democrats might be willing to compromise in the monthlong funding standoff but urged the president to return to the negotiating table.
Asked at what point the “pain and pressure” from air traffic controllers and other government workers will finally “end the shutdown,” Warner said, “I hope it ends it this week.”
“We knew this wasn’t going to end unless Donald Trump was back in the country. He’s now back in the country. He’s got to go ahead and put America first and sit down with us, deal with the health care shortage,” Warner added, as Democrats begin to feel the heat from the media and others normally friendly to his party.
He noted further that any negotiation will “require Trump in the room.”
“It’s why the bipartisan conversation so far, I don’t think we’ll ever get to ‘yes’ because unfortunately, my Republican colleagues can’t move on anything without a Trump sign-off,” Warner said.
“Trump has spent enough time going out there now trying to audition for a Nobel Prize, running around the world. Come back and put America first. Sit down and let’s get this resolved. It can be done in an hour,” Warner said without addressing the fact that Senate Democrats have voted no to fund and reopen the government 14 times.
The U.S. Supreme Court provided another victory for President Donald Trump on Tuesday, facilitating his executive order aimed at reducing the oversized federal government through extensive layoffs across various agencies.
In an unsigned ruling, the justices overturned a lower court’s decision that had prevented the president’s February 13 directive, which called for “large-scale reductions in force.” This injunction originated from Judge Susan Illston, who was appointed by Clinton in Northern California. However, the Supreme Court stated that her ruling was based on her personal interpretation of the order’s legality, rather than on the actual reorganization plans, which were not even presented to the court, as reported by The New York Post.
“Given that the Government is likely to prevail on its assertion that the Executive Order and Memorandum are lawful — and considering that the other factors relevant to granting a stay are met — we approve the application,” the court stated.
Even Justice Sonia Sotomayor, known for her liberal stance, concurred with the majority in granting the stay, although she clarified that she was not supporting the downsizing initiative itself—merely that it was premature to obstruct it.
“I concur with the Court’s stay because it allows the District Court to address those issues initially,” she noted. “The plans themselves are not currently before this Court at this time.”
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, criticizing the ruling and asserting that it could result in “mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as established by Congress.”
She contended that Trump required congressional consent before proceeding with such measures, stating, “According to our Constitution, Congress possesses the authority to create administrative agencies and define their functions.”
However, the majority of the court disagreed. They concluded that the administration was acting within its rights to commence the implementation of the president’s strategy.
The action is part of a larger initiative by the Trump administration aimed at reducing the size of government and enhancing efficiency. The Department of Government Efficiency—previously headed by Elon Musk—has been managing the transition.
Labor unions and progressive organizations had filed lawsuits to halt the initiative, which would impact personnel at essential agencies such as Agriculture, Energy, Labor, the Interior, the Treasury, State, Veterans Affairs, the EPA, among others.
Attorney General Pam Bondi commended the ruling, stating on X: “Today, the Supreme Court prevented lawless lower courts from limiting President Trump’s power over federal personnel — yet another Supreme Court triumph thanks to [Justice Department] lawyers.”
“Now, federal agencies can achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency,” she continued.
This ruling contributes to the remarkable two months the president has experienced at the Supreme Court.
His most recent success in June involved the court agreeing to hear a Republican-led challenge to U.S. campaign finance laws that restrict the amount of money political parties can expend on behalf of particular candidates.
The case, National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, was initially presented to the court by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and two Senate Republican candidates who were campaigning at that time, including the current Vice President JD Vance.
The case addresses whether federal restrictions on campaign spending by political parties infringe upon free speech protections under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Petitioners urged the Supreme Court to examine the matter, asserting that the spending restrictions “significantly hinder political party committees from exercising their First Amendment rights: to fully associate with and advocate for their candidates for federal office.”