Government shutdown could be the longest ever, Speaker Johnson warns

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., praises President Donald Trump's peacemaking efforts leading to a ceasefire pausing two years of war in the Gaza Strip, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON – Republican Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he “won't negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.

Standing alone at the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, the speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration. It's a highly unusual mass layoff widely seen as way to s