Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is no stranger to controversy, but the past month has thrust him into the center of a political maelstrom even by Washington’s standards. With the federal government now shuttered for over three weeks, Johnson faces mounting criticism not only from Democrats but from within his own Republican ranks, while President Donald Trump privately boasts about his ability to pull the Speaker’s strings. The drama unfolding in the nation’s capital is a tangled web of policy disputes, personal insults, and political brinkmanship, touching everything from healthcare affordability to the fate of key investigations in Congress.
It all began in earnest on October 1, 2025, when Johnson made the stunning move to suspend Congress indefinitely, citing the need for senior Democrats to yield to Republican budgetary demands. According to The New York Times, this maneuver has only reinforced perceptions—especially among the Speaker’s critics—that Johnson is acting less as an independent legislative leader and more as an enabler of the Trump White House’s agenda. In fact, sources told the newspaper that Trump has privately joked, “I’m the speaker and the president,” underscoring his belief that he can easily manipulate Johnson. Two people with knowledge of these remarks confirmed that nothing in Johnson’s recent conduct has done much to challenge that impression.
At the heart of the standoff is the battle over a temporary funding bill, with Republicans and Democrats locked in a bitter dispute over whether to extend tax credits for Americans who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace—Obamacare, as it’s commonly known. Democrats are adamant that letting these provisions expire at the end of 2025 would make healthcare more expensive for millions, with one analysis warning premiums could jump by as much as 18 percent. They’re also pushing to restore healthcare funding that was slashed in President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Republicans, meanwhile, have steadfastly refused to include these provisions in the stopgap appropriations bill, sticking to the party’s long-standing opposition to Obamacare.
This deadlock has left the government at a standstill for more than three weeks, and there’s no clear end in sight. Some observers worry the shutdown could become the longest and most damaging in U.S. history, a concern echoed by The Daily Beast and other outlets. Johnson, for his part, has spent much of his time on media appearances, fiercely attacking Democrats for the impasse while defending Trump’s increasingly controversial actions. Over the past week alone, Johnson has publicly supported Trump’s decision to pardon former Congressman George Santos—convicted of fraud—on the grounds that the administration “believes in redemption.” He’s also backed the president’s pursuit of $230 million in damages from the Justice Department for past investigations, and even defended Trump’s widely criticized demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for a new ballroom, declaring the replacement “is going to be glorious.”
But the Speaker’s troubles aren’t limited to clashes with Democrats. On October 22, 2025, Johnson found himself in the crosshairs of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a high-profile MAGA congresswoman known for her willingness to break ranks with her own party. In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Greene accused Johnson of avoiding the issue of affordable healthcare and failing to present “a single policy plan” during a recent conference call with Republicans. She didn’t mince words, writing, “I find it unacceptable that Republicans are sitting on the sidelines doing nothing to fix this healthcare disaster that is leading many Americans into financial ruin.”
Johnson responded that evening on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, brushing off Greene’s criticism with the Southern-tinged insult, “Well, bless her heart, that’s an absurd statement.” He elaborated, “We have been working on this for a long time. We worked on it today. We have been working on it every day. Marjorie is not here in Washington, she’s not on the committee of jurisdiction and she’s not involved in those specific discussions, but she will be soon.” Johnson explained that no detailed information about the Republicans’ healthcare plans was shared on the conference call because “it is monitored by the media,” and he worried that releasing specifics too soon would give Democrats an advantage. The Independent reported that Greene’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Greene’s public rebuke of Johnson is notable not just for its substance, but for the fact that she’s one of the few Republicans willing to criticize her own party so openly on healthcare. Over the past several weeks, she’s repeatedly spoken out about the healthcare affordability crisis, urging colleagues to focus on the issue and demanding more transparency from Republican leadership. As the government shutdown drags on, her frustration has become a rallying cry for conservatives who feel the party isn’t doing enough to address the real-world struggles of American families.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s handling of other congressional business has also raised eyebrows. He’s come under fire from Democrats for refusing to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, a move that has direct implications for a pending House petition to force a vote on releasing Justice Department findings related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Johnson has claimed he lacks the authority to administer Grijalva’s oath of office, a stance critics say is yet another example of his obstructionist tactics. As The Daily Beast points out, the Epstein case has become a particularly thorny issue for the Trump administration, given renewed scrutiny of the president’s own relationship with the late financier.
Throughout these battles, Johnson has continued to champion the White House’s legislative priorities. Earlier in the year, he played a key role in rallying Republican support for the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping package that included provisions on energy policy, border security, abortion rights, and education reform—each tightly aligned with Trump’s “America First” agenda. His close alignment with Trump has drawn criticism from across the aisle, with opponents accusing him of failing to serve as a check on executive power and instead enabling what they see as mounting overreach from the White House.
Despite the mounting criticism, Johnson shows no sign of changing course. In his view, Republicans are simply holding the line against what he describes as Democratic excess. “We have been working on this for a long time,” he insisted on CNN, pushing back against claims of inaction. Yet, as the shutdown stretches on and the economic and human costs mount, pressure is building—not just from Democrats, but from within his own party—for Johnson to find a way out of the impasse.
As Washington waits for movement, the stakes could hardly be higher. The outcome of this standoff will shape not only the future of American healthcare, but the balance of power between Congress and the White House, and the very functioning of the nation’s government. For Speaker Mike Johnson, the next few weeks may prove to be the defining test of his leadership—and his independence.
