Nevertheless, the shutdown persisted after a chaotic day, when House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) called the Senate deal a “joke” and House Republicans passed their own eight-week measure to fund the department. “House Republicans are rejecting a bipartisan bill supported by 53 Republican senators that would end the chaos at the airports, pay TSA and stop inconveniencing millions of Americans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Friday. “I wouldn’t call John Thune the engineer of this; Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate have forced this upon the Senate,” Johnson said. It is not just long lines at the airport; it is the danger and safety of everyone,” Johnson said. To pass the Senate deal, Johnson would likely have had to ask Democrats for help — something the party’s leaders indicated they would have given if asked.

Source: Washington Post March 30, 2026 19:01 UTC