Johnson says ‘Marxists’ run Democratic Party as government shutdown heads into next week

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused the Democratic Party of being taken over by far-left “Marxists” on Day 16 of the federal government shutdown.

The leader of the House of Representatives was visibly frustrated while speaking to reporters on Thursday, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrat leaders of prolonging the fiscal standoff for political gain.

“This is not your grandfather’s Democratic Party. It truly has become the far-left, Marxist-left, that are running that whole operation. And it has real effects on real people,” Johnson said.

Senate Democrats have now rejected Republicans’ federal funding plan 10 times.

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Republicans put forward last month a seven-week extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a long-term deal for FY2026.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were infuriated by being sidelined in those talks. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said their caucuses would not accept any deal that does not include serious healthcare concessions, at least extending COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Johnson and Republicans have accused Schumer of kowtowing to pressure by progressives after he was key to helping the same funding bill pass the Senate in March, avoiding a shutdown earlier this year. That move saw Schumer face a barrage of attacks from his left flank.

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“The only explanation for this is that Chuck Schumer does not want to face the heat and the scrutiny and the abuse that he took in March for doing the right, responsible thing by the far-left voices in his party,” Johnson said.

He said the “voices of the party” were Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as well as New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

“Look, Mamdani is on a path, shockingly, sadly, frighteningly, to become the elected mayor of the largest city in America, the once-cradle of capitalism. There is a Marxist rise in the Democratic Party,” Johnson said.

“The old guard — and I’m saying old guard, Chuck Schumer has been here for 44 years — he is not the flavor of the month, and he knows that he’s going to get a challenge. If it’s not AOC, it’ll be another disciple of Mamdani or somebody like that.”

He said Democrats “have to stand for the farthest left ideas, socialism, communism, Marxism, right now to be in favor in the Democratic Party.”

Schumer, in turn, has criticized Johnson for his decision to keep the House in recess while the Senate’s fiscal standoff continues.

“Republican leaders, especially Speaker Johnson, continue to dig in. The speaker has now kept the House Republicans on vacation for three weeks, as if they can make the issue go away by letting House Republicans hide. Well, the American people don’t have time for Republican inaction,” Schumer said Wednesday.