Government shutdown could be the longest ever, Speaker Johnson warns
October 13, 2025
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson predicts the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history. He says he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen the government. It’s the 13th day of the shutdown and the closures are taking a toll nationwide, halting routine government operations, shuttering the Smithsonian museums and other landmark cultural institutions and leaving airports scrambling with flight disruptions. It’s all injecting more uncertainty into an already precarious economy. The White House ensured military troops are paid this week. But the Trump administration is firing other federal workers.