A Republican voter and military mother has pleaded with House Speaker Mike Johnson to pass emergency legislation to pay troops during the government shutdown, warning that her children's lives are at risk. Samantha, who called into a C-SPAN programme on Thursday, told Johnson that her husband, who has been deployed to Afghanistan twice, could see his pay stopped next week.
Samantha revealed that she has two medically fragile children and that her family lives paycheck to paycheck. "If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get to get the medication that's needed for them to live their life," she said. She added: "I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die."
Johnson responded by expressing anger at the situation, but placed the blame firmly on Democrats. "The Republicans are the ones delivering for you," he told Samantha, adding that Democrats were preventing her from receiving a check. He accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of holding up any vote in the upper chamber.
The shutdown, now in its second week, has left active-duty servicemembers working without pay, with cheques due to stop on 15 October unless a funding bill is passed. Democrats are demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits and a reversal of Medicaid cuts, while Republicans have refused to negotiate and blamed the opposition for the impasse.
Schumer hit back at Johnson, saying Republicans "refuse to negotiate" and that every day they do so worsens the impact on Americans. He insisted the Democratic case was strengthening as families see rising insurance premiums. Johnson reportedly told fellow Republicans on a conference call that he had no intention of allowing a standalone bill to pay troops to come to a vote.
