As the government shutdown enters its second day, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended Republican leaders’ refusal to concede to Democrats’ health care policy demands in exchange for their votes on federal funding.

“Don’t ask the Republicans what we should be doing or what we should be negotiating. I don’t have anything to negotiate,” Johnson told reporters Thursday. “I sent them in good faith exactly what they had voted for before. We did not put any Republican provisions in that, and we tried to make this very simple, in good faith, so the appropriations process of the people can continue.”

Despite voting for nearly the same bill a total of 13 times during the Biden administration, Senate Democrats have continued to vote down Republicans’ clean Continuing Resolution that would e

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